By Troy Langstaff

The women’s basketball team came into the season with lots of new faces, one of which was interim head coach Anton Berry. The Tigers had to navigate their way through a difficult season riddled with injuries and cancelled games due to COVID-19.

When play resumed in March with just a few weekends left of game action, the Tigers finally got into a groove.

“Despite setback after setback, the team continued to believe and trust in the coaching staff,” explained Berry. “This was evident in the last four games of the season where the team was extremely competitive and played their best basketball of the season.”

2021-22 Women's Basketball Photo Gallery

Despite the results, the team battled to close games versus UNB and Cape Breton to round out the season and finished with a 0-13 record. 

“Despite our record, I believe our team did everything that was asked of them and played basketball the right way,” said Berry. 

The Tigers played well on the defensive side of the ball finishing first in the league in blocks per game (3.7) and third in the league in steals per game (8.3).

The first round of the AUS championship would see them pitted against the nationally-ranked UPEI Panthers. 

Dalhousie got out to a good start and held the Panthers off the scoreboard for the first five minutes of play. After three quarters, the Tigers only trailed by nine. UPEI would ultimately go on to win but Dalhousie put up a great fight with senior Lia Kentzler leading the way. She recorded a double-double in her final game with 16 points and 15 rebounds. 

The Tigers also said farewell to seniors Hannah Chadwick and Maia Timmons. Chadwick went out on a scoring tear putting up a career-high 19 points in two of her final three regular season games. Timmons’ season was cut short due to injury, but she held a veteran presence and vocal role with the team the rest of the year. 

“Lia, Hannah and Maia were great for our young team all year long,” said Berry. “They were outstanding examples of how student-athletes should carry themselves on the court, in the classroom and in the community. They were low maintenance and put the team first every single day.” 

The offseason will give the team lots of time to get healthy and reflect on the past few months of competition. With a full year of AUS play in the books, Coach Berry is confident this young squad will be well-equipped to compete with the rest of the league next fall.

“With the influx of new recruits and the development of returnees such as Andrea Hebert and Katie Crombeen, I expect the program to take the next step and contend for a playoff spot.”

2021-22 Women's Basketball Award Winners 

Team MVP Hannah Chadwick

Tiger of the Year - Lia Kentzler