(HALIFAX, N.S.) - The CIS No. 5-ranked Saint Mary's Huskies defeated the visiting UNB Varsity Reds 64-48 in Atlantic University Sport women's basketball action Friday night.
SMU rookie Kennisha-Shanice Luberisse led all scorers with 13 points and six steals on the night.
A fast-paced opening 10 minutes saw a 18-16 SMU lead for SMU.
The second quarter saw both teams score 14 total points for a 28-20 Huskies halftime lead.
Saint Mary's came out strong in the third quarter, outscoring the V-Reds by 10 points in the frame for a 46-28 cushion.
UNB paced the fourth quarter scoring 20-18 and had a 22-12 bench scoring difference in the game. Katelyn Mangold had 10 points for the V-Reds.
With the win, SMU improves to 2-0 while UNB falls to 2-1 early in the AUS season.
Carlie Nugent chipped in 12 points and went 3-for-4 from three-point land for SMU.
Angelina Carveryhad 11 points and seven rebounds while Katrina Murrell scored 10 points and six boards. Laura Langille had six points and four rebounds on the night.
Also scoring for the Huskies were Shanicka Wood with four points while Alexandra Smye and Veronica Vaickus each had three points. Emily Valikoski added two points.
UNB's Kiley DeLong and Nicole LaFleur chipped in with nine points apiece for the Varsity Reds. Grace Wade added eight points. Rachel Cleary and Katelyn Mangold had nine rebounds apiece in the losing effort.
SMU held a 39-34 rebounding advantage and shot 42.1% (24-57) compared to 34.7% (17-49) for UNB.
Both teams return to the Homburg Centre Saturday night for the second game of their double-header weekend. Tip off is at 6 p.m.
Source: Saint Mary's Sports Information