In what was a three team race for the top of the AUS women's basketball standings, the UPEI Panthers earned back-to-back wins over the Memorial Sea-Hawks this weekend to finish in first with a 17-3 record.
The Panthers travelled to St. John's this weekend to take on the Sea-Hawks, with both teams looking for the top spot and to earn a first-round playoff bye. Friday night, Jenna Mae Ellsworth and Reese Baxendale both posted a huge 32 points to lead UPEI to a 91-72 victory. Lauren Flemming led the Panthers with 11 rebounds, while Baxendale added a team-high seven assists. Memorial was led by Haille Nickerson, who notched 25 points and broke the Sea-Hawks single season point record. She also added a team-high eight rebounds on the night.
UPEI came out hot out of the gate Saturday night, as they held on for a 103-78 victory. Reese Baxendale finished with a huge 35 points on the night, while Karla Yepez and Jenna Mae Ellsworth both finished with 16 points in the win. Memorial was led by Haille Nickerson, who notched 22 points and claimed the AUS and USPORTS scoring titles. Alana Short was next in line for Memorial with 21 points and four assists in the loss.
Although the Panthers and Acadia Axewomen both finished the season with 46 points apiece and split their season series (1-1), UPEI finishes in first as they ouscored Acadia in the two head-to-head games.
The Axewomen finished the regular season off with an 88-63 win over the Saint Mary's Huskies at home Wednesday evening. Jayda Veinot led Acadia in the win, shooting 6-7 from the field, 5-6 from the stripe, and had 20 points to lead all players. Acadia fifth-year veteran Kelsey Rice boasted 14 points in her last regular season game, adding three rebounds, three assists and three steals. She earned Subway Player of the Game honours. Saint Mary's offence was fueled by Arianna Macias who finished the game with 13 points on 5-6 shooting from the field while making 1-2 of her threes. Macias was named her team's player of the game.
The UNB Reds closed out the regular season with a convincing 79-50 win over the Dalhousie Tigers on Saturday night. Marley Curwin had seven points and six rebounds in the win to earn the Subway Player of the Game award. Mikaela Dodig led the Reds with 14 points and five assists, while Katie Daley added 10 points. Bridget McSwiggan led the Tigers with 10 points and three rebounds, while Chelsea Slater-Wright had eight points and five assists in the loss. With the win, the Reds captured the 4th seed in the standings. Although the Reds and Cape Breton Capers both finished with 30 points apiece, UNB won the head-to-head season series (3-1) to put them ahead in the standings.
The Capers capped off their season on a winning note, edging the StFX X-Women 79-70 Friday night. Cape Breton was led by MacKenzee Ryan and Hailey MacLeod, who each scored 21 points on the night. MacLeod also pulled down six rebounds on the night to earn Subway player of the game honours. For the X-Women, Marley Bonnick finished with 32 points and made it a double-double night with 10 rebounds.
The 2020 Subway AUS Women's Basketball Championship will begin Friday, February 28 at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax. The Capers (5th) will take on the Reds (4th) at 1pm, while the Huskies (6th) will face the Sea-Hawks (3rd) at 6:30pm. The Panthers and Axewomen will face the winners of the quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon, with the championship taking place Sunday afternoon, March 1, at 1pm. For the full schedule, click here.
Scores:
Wednesday, Feb. 19
Saint Mary's 63 at Acadia 88 (4-point game)
Friday, Feb. 21
UPEI 91 at Memorial 72 (4-point game)
Cape Breton 79 at StFX 70 (4-point game)
Saturday, Feb. 22
UPEI 103 at Memorial 78 (4-point game)
Dalhousie 50 at UNB 79 (4-point game)