HALIFAX, N.S. - The Acadia Axewomen shocked the first-place Dalhousie Tigers Tuesday night, handing the Tigers a75-72 loss in a crucial four-point game. This was the Axewomen's third win in their last four games, while the Tigers have now won four of their last six games.
The Tigers lost despite a top performance by guard Courtney Thompson, who put up a career-high 37 points on 17-30 shooting. 14 of her points came in the fourth quarter in a comeback effort from the Tigers which would ultimately come up just short.
Newcomer, Paloma Anderson, had a team-high 22 points and she grabbed nine boards in the win for Acadia, while Allie Berry posted a double-double with 19 points and ten rebounds. Chanel Smith had 19 points of her own on 6-11 shooting.
Tied at 12 with just under five minutes to go in the first quarter, the Axewomen rattled off a 6-0 run to gain a six point advantage after ten minutes of play.
Tessa Stammberger's free throws evened the game up at 20 three minutes into the second quarter, but the Axewomen had another late run to end the first half and Katie Ross' three and Paloma Anderson's layup in the last 20 seconds of the quarter gave the Axemen a 41-33 lead going into halftime.
Chanel Smith's three midway through the third quarter gave Acadia a double-digit 52-40 lead as the Tigers struggles offensively began to mount. The Axewomen kept up their strong play and they held a 61-53 going into the fourth quarter.
The Tigers put on the pressure in the fourth quarter as they fought desperately to get back into the game. Courtney Thompson scored 14 of the Tigers 19 points in the quarter, and Tessa Stammberger sank a three with 14 seconds left to make it a one point game. The Tigers fouled Paloma Anderson to bring her to the line, and she made her second free throw to make it a two-point game.
The Tigers took the ball up the court, but Aprille Deus stole the ball off of former Axewoman Kristy Moore. The Tigers fouled Deus and she hit one of her free throws to make it a three point game. .
The Tigers, who remain in first place with a 9-5 record, will look to get back to their winning ways when they travel to Sydney to take on the Cape Breton Capers this weekend in a two-game set. Their first game will get underway Saturday night at 6:00pm.
The Axewomen will head to Charlottetown on Friday night to take on the UPEI Panthers in a crucial four-point game. The Axewomen are not mathematically eliminated from the post season as of yet with a record of 3-12.
Provided by Dalhousie Sports Information