WOLFVILLE, N.S. - The Acadia Axewomen defeated the Saint Mary's Huskies 80 – 70 in their first home game of 2023. Acadia was led by Subway Player of the Game, Sarah Delorey (Elmsdale, NS). Delorey recorded a double-double with a game-high 18 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 2 blocks.
"We practiced hard all week. We've wanted this game since we lost to them back in November. We wanted to come out strong and punch first and wanted the win," said Delorey following the win over the Huskies.
"I think over the year and a half we have grown as a team and I've really grown with the players and we've made connections. They just know where I am going to be and they get me the ball when they can," noted Delorey after her great performance.
For the Huskies, Courtney Donaldson (Kelowna, BC) earned player of the game honours, recording a team-high 15 points on 50% shooting.
This game marked Julia Sylvester's (Dundas, ON) first home game of the season after returning from injury. Sylvester immediately made an impact off the bench for the Axewomen, scoring 6 points and grabbing 2 rebounds in her 12 minutes of action.
The Axewomen found themselves with a 7-point advantage to end the first quarter and protected it well as they never allowed the Huskies to take the lead. Acadia outscored SMU in all but the final quarter.
In the final quarter, the Huskies made a push led by Alaina McMillan (Brantford, ON) and Sophia Widmeyer (Dartmouth, NS). McMillan scored 11 of her 14 points and Widmeyer scored 8 of her 13 points in the final quarter of play. Despite this, the Axewomen could hold on and win by a comfortable 10 points.
This win brings Acadia to a 9 – 2 record while the Huskies fall to 8 – 4. This is an important win for the Axewomen as it was one of eight four-point games of the season. The four points from tonight's win place Acadia in first in the AUS standings.
The Axewomen will travel to Cape Breton to face the Capers on Friday the 20th at 6:00 PM. The Axewomen have split their season series 1 – 1 against the Capers so far. Meanwhile, the SMU Huskies will return home to play the Memorial Seahawks on Saturday the 21st at 6:00 PM.
RECAP BY: Ryan Wallace, Acadia Athletics