In a back and forth game that saw multiple lead changes, Dalhousie guard Robbi Daley had five points in the final two minutes and a three-pointer with 0.7 seconds to lead the Tigers past the UQAM Citadins 57-55 at the Dalplex Saturday night.
UQAM's Queteline Celestin had a game-high 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
Dalhousie had a sloppy first quarter with seven turnovers and relied on their hot shooting stroke and led 23-15 after ten minutes of play.
The second quarter saw strong defensive play and neither team could seem to get on a roll offensively. The teams combined for only 18 points in the quarter and the Tigers led the Citadins 31-25 at the half.
Dalhousie's interior defense was exposed in the third quarter, and the Citadins piled on 18 points to give a 43-41 lead going into the fourth quarter.
And that's when things got interesting.
The Citadins held the lead through the fourth quarter until Dalhousie's Robbi Daley hit a long jumper to put the Tigers up 54-53 with 1:25 left to play. UQAM's Janice Quintos missed a wide open layup with a minute left and the Tigers took possession.
Tessa Stammberger, who had 12 points on the night, drove the lane and drew a foul with 52 seconds left and had a chance to put the Tigers up three but missed both free throws. She grabbed the rebound but the Tigers couldn't convert.
The crowd was on their feet as the Citadins took the ball up the floor and Dalhousie's defense was all over them. The shot clock was counting down as UQAM's Camille Michaud hit a layup with 20 seconds left on clock to give the Citadins a 55-54 lead.
But the game was far from over.
The Tigers took the ball up the floor, and attempted a quick pass to the wing. UQAM got a hand on the pass and for a split second it looked as though the game was over. Tessa Stammberger managed to gain possession of the ball and quickly swung the ball to Robbi Daley, who was waiting wide open at the three point line. She got the shot off quickly and sunk a three with 0.7 remaining and the Tigers held on for the 57-55 victory.
The Tigers are in action again on Sunday when they take on the rival Saint Mary's Huskies at 1:00pm. The Huskies are 2-0 on the weekend. The Citadins play the Carleton Ravens at 11:00am.