Game recap by Kirk Jessome
(Halifax, NS) – In an always important 4-point game, the Dalhousie Tigers hosted the UNB Reds at the Dalplex in Friday night action. With a strong second quarter, the Reds were able to take home a 59-43 win.
It was an end to end battle in the first quarter, but neither team were finding their offensive stride. The Reds were looking to push the tempo in the transition game and were aggressive moving the ball inside, they just couldn't get the tough layups to fall.
It was an even colder start for the Tigers, as they started 0-17 from the field and were only able to find 1-point in the opening 8 minutes of the quarter till Katelyn Scott (Riverview, NB) was able to finish through contact under the rim to get the Tigers on the board.
At the end of a quiet first quarter, the Reds held on to a 9-3 lead.
The Reds got exactly the start they needed to the second quarter, as great ball movement opened up Mikaela Dodig (Bolton, ON) for a wide-open three. That score was followed up by pressure defence that caused the Tigers trouble and resulted in back to back turnovers.
The Tigers were able to step up their defence in the back-end of the half, as five UNB possessions in a row ended with a shot clock violation or a dead-ball turnover. Despite that, their 15% from the field saw the Tigers go into the half trailing 28-12.
The Reds were finally solving the Tigers zone and finding their flow on the attacking end, with great ball movement leading to open looks in the paint for Grace Simpson (Fredericton, NB) to extend the lead to as much as 23 midway through the quarter.
Getting a spark from Hannah Chadwick (Toronto, ON) finding 7 points off the bench for the Tigers, they ended the quarter on a run to try and get themselves within reaching distance going into the fourth.
Despite the Tigers winning the third quarter, the Reds still held a comfortable lead at 43-28 heading into the fourth.
Offensive rebounds were starting to add up for the Reds, as the extra possessions melted time off the clock, and allowed time for an offensive reset to continue working the ball to Simpson down low.
The Tigers continued to push the ball into the paint, but the zone defence from the Reds was clogging every driving lane the Tigers were looking for and forcing them into tough, off-balance shots, and late-clock jumpers.
As the clock ticked away, the Reds were able to hang on to a 59-43 win.
Chloe Wilson (Dartmouth, NS) led the Tigers scorers with 9 points and 6 rebounds while Grace Simpson finished with 9 points and 5 rebounds for the Reds. One of the keys to the Reds victory included the rebounding battle, in which Krystal Osburn (Ottawa, ON) picked up 12 of them for the Reds.
The Tigers will look to get back on track on Wednesday when they head down the road to take on Saint Mary's, while the Reds will stay in Halifax for the night and take on the Huskies tomorrow.