Handed their first loss
U SPORTS No. 1 ranked Axewomen downed by UPEI, win against UNB
In the first of two game games, a large fourth quarter of 35 points gave the U SPORTS No. 1 ranked Axewomen a 91-76 win over the visiting UNB Varsity Reds.
Chanel Smith posted 14 of her 20-point game in the final frame as the Axewomen improve to 11-0 and remain undefeated in regular season play.
With the lead changing 11 times during a tight threequarters of the play, both teams were close in most, if not all, statistical categories except Acadia dominated in the paint with 32 points, compared to UNB’S 16.
The largest lead for the Varsity Reds came 40 seconds into the game when they pushed out to a four-point lead. The only dominant lead for the Axewomen appeared in the fourth quarter where Acadia out-scored UNB 35-17.
The Varsity Reds opened the final quarter with a 59-56 lead, but Smith’s three-pointer at 4:35 gave the Axewomen a 72-67 advantage they would not surrender. Smith’s basket from the distant arc was followed by Haley Mcdonald’s fourth and final three-pointer.
Smith responded minutes later with another three-point basket that opened up a 13-0 run to the buzzer.
The top team in the country looked flat in the first half and Smith pointed out that words were said prior to the start of the final quarter.
“For us, I think it was an energy thing. We really had to hold together. We weren’t really feeding off each other for the first half, but we came together in the fourth and told each other we need to pick it up and I think that’s what sparked it and we believed in each other,” said Smith
“I think that is what helped us with our energy and it helped us get more boards. That’s what we really needed. So that really set the tone and gave us a little spark.”
Smith was joined by Haley Mcdonald and Paloma Anderson in posting double-digit scoring. Mcdonald posted a game-high 22 points, while Anderson added 19. Katie Ross dominated the boards with 11 rebounds.
Laura Kaye and former Axewoman Emily Macleod contributed 17 and 14 points, respectively.
First loss
The Acadia faithful witnessed the U SPORTS No. 1 ranked Axewomen’s first loss of the regular season in the second home game of the weekend on Saturday night. Down by five at the half, Acadia was unable to make their trademark second-half comeback and fell behind by as much as 23 points at the 9:05 mark of the second half.
The UPEI Panthers dominated defensively in the second half and seemed unchallenged at times on offense.
Shooting 30.9 field goal percentage, the Axewomen struggled to keep up to the Panthers’ ease of posting 42.1 per cent from the distant arc and 47 per cent from the floor.
The Axewomen, who have averaged over 31 per cent from the three-point line, netted 15.6 per cent of their threepoint shot attempts.
Tied at 15 in the closing seconds of the opening frame, Jenna Mae Ellsworth’s two made free throws ended the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Ross made a three-point basket gave the Axewomen their last lead of the game at 18-17.
The Panthers extended the lead to 35-30 at the half and pushed out to a commanding 63-46 advantage on a 28-16 third-quarter scoring spree on the back of Reese Baxendale’s 12 points.
Anderson posted an Acadia high 17 points, and Smith added 15 points and 13 rebounds. Allie Berry and Macdonald posted 13 points apiece.
The Axewomen remain in first place in the AUS women’s basketball conference with an 11-1 record and will head to Memorial this weekend for two games.