HALIFAX, NS – The SMU Huskies women’s basketball team are AUS champions for the first time since 2016, defeating the defending champion Acadia University Axewomen 68-56 at the Scotiabank Centre Sunday afternoon.

Alaina McMillan put her shooting on full display, hitting four 3-pointers and finishing with 20 points as she captured the AUS title. The tournament MVP said the moment was surreal.

“She’s a super tough player, I give her a lot of credit, I enjoy coaching against her,” said Acadia head coach Len Harvey. “I enjoy watching great players, and she’s a great one. She plays the right way and is a very classy kid, so good on her; she had a great tournament.”

Clara Gascoigne was instrumental in the Huskies’ win, scoring 15 points, grabbing eight boards and dishing out six assists.

It was 33-31 for SMU after the first half, but it was in the fourth quarter that the Huskies pulled ahead, outscoring Acadia 19-12 in the quarter.

Courtney Donaldson added a scoring burst off the bench, finishing with 12 points and four 3-pointers.

The major difference in the game was from 3-point range as SMU hit 13 3-pointers to Acadia’s 7.

“Credit to the players; they worked hard and put everything into it. There were a few ups and downs this year, but they stuck together and kept fighting and found a way to do it today,” said SMU head coach Scott Munro.

Elizabeth Iseyemi had 18 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists for Acadia. The AUS MVP, Haley McDonald, had a tough night, scoring just five points and shooting 2-10 from the field.

“I think we didn’t show up early enough today. I think the big lesson from this is getting more ready early,” said Harvey.

SMU heads on to nationals in Sydney, Nova Scotia, on March 9.

“Knowing that we can go into this tournament, being confident in ourselves, knowing what we can do and sticking to that and see how far we go at nationals,” said McMillan.