Full team effort propels Huskies to win over Tigers in return to play

Full team effort propels Huskies to win over Tigers in return to play

By Allan April, 

After 84 days between games, the Saint Mary's Huskies women's basketball team were eager to return to the court on Friday night as they hosted the Dalhousie Tigers.

"It was great, it's been a long break but it felt really good to get back on the court," said Huskies forward Clara Gascoigne (Dartmouth, N.S.) post-game. "We only have seven games left so we have to go out and give it our all every time, so every game is a step in the right direction."

The Huskies got off to a strong start, turning defensive stops into offense and running the floor on transition to open up a quick 9-0 lead, led by the trio of Gascoigne, Lucina Beaumont (Fredericton, N.B.) and Courtney Donaldson (Kelowna, B.C.) who scored the first nine points of the game.

All five Huskies starters and reserve guards Aki Kobayashi (Hyogo, Japan) and Sarah Forgie (New Westminster, B.C.) found the scoresheet in the first quarter, as the Huskies took a 25-8 lead into the second quarter.

The Huskies offense cooled down a bit to begin the second quarter, scoring just 6 points in the first five minutes, before Donaldson converted a tough three point play to give them a 34-11 lead.

From there the Huskies offense rediscovered their groove, including six straight points by Beaumont to give the Huskies a commanding 42-16 lead heading into the second half. 

Beaumont led all first half scorers with 11 points and 6 rebounds, while Donaldson and Gascoigne added eight points each. The Huskies team defense was swarming the Tigers, as they racked up 12 steals and 13 points off turnovers in the first half.

Chloe Wilson (Dartmouth, N.S.) and Hannah Chadwick (Toronto, ON) were bright spots for the Tigers with 7 and 5 points respectively. 

The Tigers got off to a good start in the second half with a 5-0 run to cut the lead to 42-21, as the Huskies once again started the third quarter slow, scoring their first basket 4:10 into the frame when all-star guard Alaina McMillan (Brantford, ON) hit a jump shot. Neither team got much offense in the third quarter, as the Huskies outscored the Tigers 11-8.

In the fourth quarter the Huskies bench got a chance to get some run, with a pair of first years Isabella MacKay (New Glasgow, N.S.) and Jade Curwin (Dartmouth, N.S.) each scoring their first regular season points for the Huskies. 

Led by their bench, the Huskies outscored the Tigers 20-11 in the fourth quarter and secured the 73-35 victory.

 It was a true team effort as 11 of the 12 Huskies who played in the game scored. Clara Gascoigne was named Subway AUS Player of the Game with 15 points, and added 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a block. Gascoigne currently leads the AUS in both steals (26) and blocks (17).

"I think our entire team, 1-through-14, can all play so I think it's great that they got to get in and show what they can do tonight," said Gascoigne. "I think one of the best things about our team is we are so deep, everyone knows what they are doing and there are no weak links, so it was really great for them to get in and show what they can do."

Alaina McMillan and Lucina Beaumont each scored 13 points, with McMillan adding 4 assists and 4 steals, and Beaumont adding 13 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks.

With the win the Huskies improve to 7-3 on the season and sweep their regular season series against the Tigers. The Huskies return to the court next weekend for a home-and-home against the Acadia Athletics, and will tip-off Friday night at 6 p.m. at the Homburg Centre.

"It's going to be a tough game next week, so we've just got to get in the gym this week, work hard and work together and prepare for Acadia," said Gascoigne.

The Tigers were led by Chloe Wilson with 10 points and 9 rebounds, and Hannah Chadwick with 9 points. 

With the loss, the Tigers record dropped to 0-10 and they will hit the road to take on the UPEI Panthers in a pair of games next weekend.