McMillan’s fourth quarter explosion leads Huskies to 74-62 win in season-opener

HALIFAX, NS - Saint Mary's guard Alaina McMillan scored 13 of her team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter, as the Huskies defeated the Acadia Axewomen 74-62 in the Atlantic University Sport women's basketball season-opener on Thursday night at the Homburg Centre in Halifax.

In a rematch of last season's AUS Championship Final, the Huskies honoured their 2022-23 championship team with a banner presentation ceremony pre-game, in front of a crowd of nearly 300 excited fans.

The Huskies got off to a strong start with a Clara Gascoigne (Dartmouth, NS) steal and lay-in capping of a 9-0 run to give them a 15-4 lead midway through the first quarter.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

Alaina McMillan picking up where she left off with a nice drive and finish in the first quarter. pic.twitter.com/SqiWgPFi5h

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 26, 2023

Acadia would cut into the lead thanks to some strong play from guard Bianca Helmig (Speyer, Germany) who scored six first quarter points, and a late jump shot by wing Lisa Bolander (Uppsala, Sweden) cut the lead to 17-16 heading into the second quarter.

The game remained tight throughout the second quarter, with the Huskies defence forcing the Axewomen into seven turnovers, and forward Lucina Beaumont (Fredericton, NB) and guard Courtney Donaldson (Kelowna, BC), combining to score 17 of the Huskies 21 second quarter points.

Acadia hung around thanks to all-star forward Elizabeth-Ann Iseyemi (Dartmouth, NS) who delivered seven second quarter points, and post Julia Sylvester (Dundas, ON) chipped in four points and three rebounds off the bench.

The Huskies took a 38-32 lead into the locker room at halftime, led by 13 points from Donaldson and 11 points from Beaumont, while the Axewomen were led by eight points from Helmig and seven from Iseyemi.

The third quarter was more of the same – the Axewomen would cut it close, but the Huskies defence was consistently able to force timely turnovers and capitalize in transition. Once again, the offensive output of Iseyemi kept the Axewomen in the game, as her late lay-in cut the lead to 54-50, which would be the score heading into the fourth quarter.

Acadia forward Sarah Delorey (Elmsdale, NS) was a dominant presence on the boards all night, with 11 rebounds, including seven of the offensive variety, one of which led to an early fourth quarter free-throw that cut the lead to 54-51. But that was as close as the Axewomen would get – Huskies reserve forward Marlo Steenbakkers (Ottawa, ON) scored a lay-up and a three-pointer on back-to-back possessions to push the lead back up to 59-51.

Moments later, Alaina McMillan (Brantford, ON) would take over, as she scored 13 of the Huskies final 15 points over a five-minute stretch. A tough lay-in, followed by a three-pointer, followed by a midrange jumper, and an even deeper three-pointer, and all of the sudden the Huskies were ahead 69-57.

A three-pointer by Julia Sylvester would cut the lead to 71-62, but McMillan had one last trick up her sleeve, banking in a 30-foot three to seal the victory and secure Player of the Game honours.

"I feel great," said McMillan post-game. "Starting off the season with a win is obviously a positive and we just want to keep building on the positive things we did today, hopefully fix some other things tomorrow and have a great game on Saturday."

McMillan's 17 points were tied with Courtney Donaldson's 17 points for the Huskies leading scorer on the evening, while forward Lucina Beaumont chipped in a 13 points, 11 rebound double-double. Of the Huskies 74 points on the night, 72 were scored by the returning core of last season's championship team – McMillan, Donaldson, Beaumont, Gascoigne, Steenbakkers and guard Aki Kobayashi (Hyogo, Japan) and forward Katelyn Power (Bayside, NS) – only fitting for a night that began with the celebration of their championship victory.

"I've been here five years, and I know my shots are going to come, and my teammates keep telling me to keep shooting," said McMillan post-game. "We want our identity to be defence, so just capitalizing on getting stops, and staying aggressive."

The Axewomen were paced by Elizabeth Iseyemi, who scored 20 points and added six rebounds. Bianca Helmig chipped in 14, Lisa Bolander added 10, and Julia Sylvester chipped in nine points off the bench.

The Huskies and Axewomen will meet again on Saturday night in Wolfville, NS, with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m. ADT.

Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
Photos by Eduardo Ibarra / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics