ST. JOHN'S, NL - The Sea-Hawks (3-2) were able to grab a win in the first game against the Acadia Axewomen (3-2) in the weekend series, 88-74.
The first quarter was tough for the Hawks, coming out slow right from the tip. Acadia scored a quick basket to start the game, and prevented Memorial from establishing any rhythm. They fought back with a few impressive runs, but Acadia could disrupt their momentum with their strong rebounding, which continued through the rest of the first half. Acadia grabbed nine offensive rebounds in the first twenty minutes.
After a first half of tough competition, Memorial held the lead 44-37. Sydney Stewart led the way for the Hawks with 16 points. Hallie Nickerson was providing a much-needed spark of the bench for Memorial, shooting a great 4/5 from the field.
Acadia was propelled by the efforts of Haley McDonald, posting an impressive 21 points in the first half. For the rest of the Axewomen, scoring was sparse, but each player provided much-needed activity to disrupt Memorial's frantic fastbreak offense.
In the second half of play, Memorial took it to Acadia, upping the intensity and tenacity. Sydney Stewart was able to continue her strong first half in to the second, posting 11 of her game-high 35 points in the third quarter. Acadia lost most of their momentum, but still managed to keep the game competitive despite Memorial opening up their lead in the third.
For Memorial, Sydney Stewart, Hallie Nickerson each had over twenty points, Stewart posting a double-double and earning Subway Player of the Game.
Acadia had two solid offensive contributions from Haley McDonald and Shalyn Field, posting 23 and 18 respectively.
In the second game of the weekend, the host Sea-Hawks (3-3) could not rally against the Axewomen (4-2), losing by a final score of 97-70.
The first quarter did not start how the Hawks would of liked, with Acadia jumping out to an 8-0 lead, buoyed by their fantastic shooting from deep. Memorial struggled right from the tip, having great difficulties penetrating Acadia's half court defense.
After the first, Acadia led 31-18. By half they extended their lead to 22, putting Memorial in a compromising position. Sydney Stewart of the Hawks had 16 of Memorial's 33. Two of the Axewomen composed 40 of their 55 in the first half, Haley McDonald and Jayda Veinot splitting the load evenly with 20 points each.
The second half was more of the same with Acadia completely dominating the glass, pulling down 14 offensive rebounds compared to Memorial's 4. They had consistent pressure and activity, preventing Memorial from running their patented fast-break offense.
Sydney Stewart left all of her effort out on the floor, leading the Sea-Hawks with 19. Unfortunately, Acadia had their number in their second matchup.
McDonald posting a massive 31 and Veinot contributed 29, shooting perfect from the free throw line as well. Veinot earned Subway Player of the Game for the Axewomen.
Memorial will look to shake off this tough loss in their next competition against CBU on the 24th and 25th away from home. The two games against CBU are four-point matchups. The Axewomen host StFX on Saturday, Nov. 24 beginning at 6:00 pm