by Cody Baugh

The Tigers had a very different look this season after losing a number of key starters to graduation last year. Despite having seven players in their first two years of eligibility, the Tigers managed to clinch a playoff berth with a 6-14 record.

They went 3-5 in the pre-season, with wins against StFX, Nipissing, and Toronto and losses to UPEI (2), Holland College, Alberta, and Laval.

Dalhousie had an extremely strong start to the regular season, winning three out of their four opening matches to start the year. Tessa Stammberger established herself early on in the season as the leader of the Tigers squad and one of the most dominant players in the league, scoring more than 20 points in each of her first three games.

After a promising start, the Tigers ran into some trouble in their next four games including two losses in four-point games against Acadia and StFX. While the Tigers fell to the Axewomen, head coach Anna Stammberger said it was one of the defining moments in the team’s season.

“Oddly enough, it was the confidence the team gained from the loss at Acadia. We kept the 80+ scoring Acadia team to just 67 points, and lost by just one to an unbeaten team in their gym.”

After the Christmas break, the Tigers suffered a loss to the Saint Mary’s Huskies but bounced back against the X-Women with a crucial four-point win. Tessa Stammberger was the offensive catalyst with 30 points on the night.

Dalhousie finished off the month of January with a disappointing 1-4 record, but still had a solid chance of making the AUS playoffs.

In a two-game set at Memorial, Tessa Stammberger broke her arm ending her season and her AUS career. It was a tough loss for the team but Coach Stammberger described it as team-building moment.

“I think it made us even closer as a group. We became more supportive and even more team-focused than before.”

The Tigers closed out the season with four straight losses following the injury of Stammberger, but battled to some close decisions. The team qualified for playoffs but fell 69-56 to Cape Breton in the quarter-finals at Scotiabank Centre.

While many people didn’t give the Tigers a chance to make the playoffs, Coach Stammberger attributed their success to a willingness to work hard everyday and from the leadership of Tessa Stammberger and Ainsley MacIntyre.

Tessa Stammberger was named an AUS first team all-star, while Megan Thompson and Sophie Gaube were both named to the AUS all-rookie team. Ainsley MacIntyre was honoured with both the AUS and CIS student-athlete community service awards for her excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community.

Looking forward, the Tigers will be losing two veteran leaders in Stammberger and MacIntrye to graduation.