Game recap by: Kirk Jessome
(Halifax, NS) – In game one of the Varsity Showcase double-header, the Dalhousie Tigers faced off against the Saint Mary's Huskies at the Scotiabank Centre to close out the first half of the season.
The interior presence was key for both teams early, with the Tigers pushing the ball into the post for Robertha Charles (Montreal, QC) and Lia Kentzler (Gottingen, GER). For the Huskies, their offensive rebounding helped them get into position for three-point plays at the line with Estelle Eduardo (Villeurbanne, FRA).
The Tigers were able to open a slight lead towards the end of the quarter, thanks to the hot hand of Sophie Gaube (Hubley, NS) knocking down a pair of deep shots in the final minutes.
A final layup off another offensive rebound in the dying seconds by Jada Yeo (Cornwall, PEI) kept the Huskies tight however, heading into the second quarter down 19-15.
Opening the second quarter with a pressure defense, the Tigers were able to finish a few tough defensive stretches with baskets at the other end, highlighted by Gaube knocking down another shot from deep.
After being held to just one basket in the first five minutes of the quarter, the Huskies were able to put together a run of their own before the half ended, led by Arianna Macias (Tampa, FL) getting inside to get to the line.
The Tigers were able to hold onto their lead heading into the half with the inside game opening shots from deep for Robertha Charles to show she can get it done at the rim and from the outside.
Heading into the half, the Tigers had the advantage at 34-30.
It couldn't have been a much better start to the second half for the Tigers, opening up with a three from Gaube, followed by five-points from Charles, and yet another three from Gaube to force a Huskies timeout after a 15-4 run.
That timeout seemed to do the job for the Huskies to ice the Tigers shooting for the remainder of the quarter, but they couldn't seem to get any offense going themselves.
The Huskies were held to just 9 points in the third quarter as the Tigers stretched their lead to 55-39 heading into the fourth.
The Tigers were able to quietly add to their lead throughout the fourth quarter, continuing to get inside and earn trips to the line. The increased pressure on the inside once again opened up room for shooters on the outside, with Ariel Provo (Lake Echo, NS) getting in on the offense from deep.
The Tigers lead grew to as high as 28 in the fourth quarter, but the Huskies refused to go away lightly, with Sarah Forgie (New Westminster, BC) and Jada Yeo hitting threes on back to back possessions.
The deficit was just too much to come back from however, as the final buzzer sounded to give the Tigers a 78-58 win.
Arianna Macias led the way for the Huskies in this one, collecting 23 points, along with 5 rebounds. For the Tigers, Sophie Gaube had an outstanding performance with 24 points, shooting 6-12 from deep, as well as adding 5 rebounds to earn her the Subway Player of the Game title.
The Tigers will start the second half of their season January 5th when they travel to Acadia, while the Huskies will take on StFX to start up their second half on January 4th.