Huskies secure first place with 65-63 win over CBU

(Sydney, NS) - It came down to the final seconds of the game, but it was Kennisha-Shanice Luberisse (Montreal, QC) who drove in and hit a layup with a little over a second left on the clock, and gave the Saint Mary's Huskies (15-4) the 65-63 victory over the Cape Breton University Capers (12-7) in Atlantic University Sport women's basketball at the Sullivan Field House.  

The Capers jumped out to an early lead, and never trailed at any point in the first quarter, with a free throw from Jalynn Skeir (Halifax, NS) putting the Capers up 19-13 with 2:43 to go in the first. This would end up being their largest lead. By the end of the quarter the Huskies were able to cut their lead to only one, with Courtney Cain-Nordin (Halifax, NS) grabbing an offensive rebound, getting fouled, and nailing both free throw attempts towards the end of the quarter. 

It took only 12 seconds into the second quarter for the Huskies to get their first lead of the game with a layup by Jasmine Cain (Halifax, NS), making the score 22-21. The two teams then traded leads throughout the frame, but Saint Mary's went on a 9-0 run which helped give them a 39-32 lead going into the half. 

The Capers regrouped after the break, with both teams stepped it up on the defensive end. A Jalynn Skeir three pointer temporarily gave the Capers the lead. But the Huskies grabbed the lead back towards the end of the third. The Huskies were up one going into the final quarter.

The fourth quarter started with the Huskies extending their lead to as high as six, but the Capers were able to fight their way back into the lead, with Skeir hitting another big three to tie the game up at 47. The Capers then continued to attack the basket, and a set of free throws by Valentina Primossi (Trieste, ITA) and Hannah Brown (North Sydney, NS) put the Capers up three with just over three minutes to go.

The teams were neck and neck until the very end. Colleen Keane (Scarborough, ON) cut to the basket, received the pass, and made the layup with only 18 seconds to go to tie the game. But, after a Saint Mary's timeout, the Huskies waited the clock out, and Luberisse put Saint Mary's up with just over a second remaining. It stood as the game winner. 

Shanieka Wood (Ajax, ON) led the way for the Huskies, putting up a team-high 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, giving her a double-double. Kenissha-Shanice Luberisse also had a great game, scoring 10 points, including the game winner. She also had eight assists and three steals. 

For the Capers, Sandra Amoah (Toronto, ON) scored 13 points, while scoring seven of them from the free-throw line. Valentina Primossi added 10 points, and chipped in with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Both teams will be right back at it Saturday the 24th, as the two teams are set to have a rematch in the Capers final home game of the season before both teams head out for the AUS championship. 

The game will tip-off at 6p.m