Axewomen take down Huskies in 82-73 win

HALIFAX, NS - The Saint Mary's Huskies women's basketball team kept it close, but just couldn't keep up with the offensive firepower of the Acadia Axewomen, who won 82-73 in a Friday night matchup at the Homburg Centre in Halifax.

Friday night's game was the third matchup of the season between the two rivals, with the Huskies beating the Axewomen in the first two games of the regular season in late October. Since then, the Axewomen had won seven of their last eight games, including three in a row heading into Friday night's game.

It was the Huskies who got off to a hot start, led by guards Alaina McMillan (Brantford, ON), who hit a pair of three-pointers, and Clara Gascoigne (Dartmouth, NS), who had seven points and three blocks in the first frame. The Huskies were able to turn good defense into transition offense, with three blocked shots and a steal in the opening quarter, and held the Axewomen to just 22% (4/18) shooting from the field, to take a 15-10 lead after the first 10 minutes.

But it was only a matter of time before reigning U SPORTS Female Athlete of the Week Jayda Veinot found her offense. Veinot scored nine points, including a pair of three's in the second quarter, and forward Elizabeth Beals-Iseyemi added five points, as the Axewomen outscored the Huskies 23-15 in the second quarter to take a 33-30 lead into the half.

The Huskies were led in the first half by Gascoigne, who stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 blocked shots and 1 steal, while all-star guard McMillan contributed 11 points, including a trio of threes. One issue for the Huskies in the first half was secondary scoring, as just four players combined to score all 30 points, with no points coming off the bench. 

Veinot, a two-time AUS All-Star, led all scorers with 14 first half points, while Beals-Iseyimi chipped in seven points and six rebounds for the Axewomen, who out rebounded the Huskies 22-15 in the first half, including five to three on the offensive end.

In the third quarter, the Huskies got the bench boost they were looking for from guard Aki Kobayashi (Hyogo, Japan), who scored four quick points to tie the game at 35-35 with 8:24 remaining in the third quarter.

After the Axewomen went on a quick 8-0 run, sparked by four points by first year guard Samantha Russell, Huskies head coach Scott Munro took a timeout with his team trailing 43-35 with 6:02 to play in the third. The Huskies responded well, as Kobayashi and McMillan scored seven straight points to cut the Acadia lead back to 43-42. The two teams continued to trade buckets, and the Axewomen took a 56-50 lead into the fourth quarter.

Acadia's offense got off to a good start in the fourth quarter, with six different Axewomen scoring over a 14-5 run, that gave them the largest lead of the game, 70-55, with 6:24 remaining. The Huskies did have a comeback left in them, going on a 13-4 run of their own, with a Lucina Beaumont (Fredericton, NB) three-pointer cutting Acadia's lead to 74-68 with 2:14 to play. On the ensuing possession, guard Sophie Atkinson drew the defense and found an open Sandy Saunders, who hit a corner three to push the lead back up to nine. The Huskies comeback ran out of steam, and Acadia held on for a 82-73 victory.

Jayda Veinot was named Subway Player of the Game with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Beals-Iseyimi posted a 15 points, 11 rebound double-double, and Atkinson added 12 points for the Axewomen.

The Huskies were led by McMillan, who scored 23 points, including five three-pointers, and added four assists. Gascoigne added 19 points, six rebounds and four blocks, and continues to lead the conference in total blocks (21) and steals (27). Beaumont chipped in 13 points and eight rebounds, and Kobayashi added 8.

With the win, Acadia improves to 8-3 on the season and extends their win streak to four games. The Huskies loss drops them to 7-4 on the season. The two teams will meet again on Sunday, this time in Wolfville, as they tip-off at 1 p.m. at Acadia's Stu Aberdeen Court.

Recap: Allan April / SMU Huskies Athletics

Photos: Nick Pearce / SMU Huskies Athletics