In the first weekend of the AUS women's basketball regular season, the Acadia Axewomen, UNB Reds and UPEI Panthers all earned back-to-back victories to pick up four points apiece.
The defending AUS champion Axewomen played to an 83-53 victory over the StFX X-Women Wednesday night on Coach K Court in Antigonish. Sandy Saunders finished the night with a game-high 22 points and had seven rebounds as she earned Subway player of the game honours for Acadia. Teammate Haley McDonald scored 18 and Sarah Delorey added 11 and had five boards. For the X-Women, Kira Atherley finished with 13 points and four rebounds.
The Axewomen then topped the X-Women 94–57 Saturday night at Stu Aberdeen Court after hanging their 2022 AUS championship banner. This game saw Haley McDonald become the Axewomen's all-time leader in points scored with 1460 career points. McDonald was the Subway Player of the Game, putting up 23 points along with six rebounds and three assists. Melina Collins posted a team-high 19 points for StFX in the loss.
The Reds hosted the Dalhousie Tigers in back-to-back games this weekend, first earning an 87-62 win Friday night. UNB's Jolianne Guay led all scorers with 19 points and was named Subway Player of the Game, while Gracie Dalton led the Tigers with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Jayda Veinot led the UNB Reds with 18 points, including a pair of three-pointers in the fourth quarter, in a 77-54 win over the Tigers Saturday evening. Veinot earned Subway Player of the Game honours for her efforts. Katie Butts added 15 points and a game high nine rebounds for UNB, while Katie McAffee had 13 points and five rebounds. Dalton had nine points and five rebounds for the Tigers, while Jasenda Horseman led her team with 10 points off the bench.
The UPEI Panthers put together a complete effort as they took down the Cape Breton Capers 79-56 Friday night. Four different Panthers reached double figures with Lauren Rainford leading the charge. The third-year guard recorded 23 points, eight rebounds, five steals, and three assists. Devon Lawlor provided a spark off the bench and finished with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three blocks, while Karla Yepez and Alicia Bowering scored 12 apiece. Kiyara Letlow was the high-point scorer for the Capers, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds for the double-double, while Leandra Hersey finished with 16 points on four-of-seven from three in the loss.
The Panthers put together another convincing win Saturday, edging the Capers 80-58 in Charlottetown. Alicia Bowering scored a game-high 19 points, while teammate Devon Lawlor connected on four three-pointers and finished with 16 points off the bench. Lauren Rainford recorded another strong game with 17 points, seven rebounds, and five assists for the home team. Mackenzee Ryan finished with a team-high 18 points for the Capers in the loss.
The Saint Mary's Huskies visited the Memorial Sea-Hawks in St, John's this weekend, where the teams split the victories, both picking up two points.
Saturday evening, All-Star guard Alaina McMillan scored 20 points as the Huskies defeated the Memorial Sea-Hawks 85-72. The two teams battled a close score the entire game, however, the Huskies were able to maintain their lead from start to finish to eventually defeat the Sea-Hawks. McMillan earned Subway Player of the Game honours for her efforts, while Sea-Hawks guard Rebecka Ekström posted 19 points, including going 5/8 from three-point range, while teammates Alana Short and Hannah Green both posted 13 points apiece in the loss.
Sunday afternoon, it was a back-and-forth battle throughout the duration of the game, featuring 16 lead changes, with the Sea-Hawks pulling away in the final minute to take the 78-74 victory. The Sea-Hawks were led by Subway Player of the Game Alana Short (23 points) and Rebecka Ekström (18 points), while Huskies guard Sophia Widmeyer proved difficult to stop for the Sea-Hawks defence, scoring 24 points for Saint Mary's.
Scores:
Wednesday, Oct. 26
Acadia 83 at StFX 53
Friday, Oct. 28
Cape Breton 56 at UPEI 79
Dalhousie 62 at UNB 87
Saturday, Oct. 29
Cape Breton 58 at UPEI 80
Saint Mary's 85 at Memorial 72
Dalhousie 54 at UNB 77
StFX 57 at Acadia 94
Sunday, Oct. 30
Saint Mary's 74 at Memorial 78
Standings
- Acadia Axewomen (2-0) - 4 points
- UNB Reds (2-0) - 4 points
- UPEI Panthers (2-0) - 4 points
- Saint Mary's Huskies (1-1) - 2 points
- Memorial Sea-Hawks (1-1) - 2 points
- Cape Breton Capers (0-2) - 0 points
- Dalhousie Tigers (0-2) - 0 points
- StFX X-Women (0-2) - 0 points