HALIFAX, NS – The Acadia University Axewomen defeated the University of New Brunswick Reds 77-69 to advance to the AUS final of the AUS Championship at the Scotiabank Centre.
The Axewomen were led by AUS MVP Haley McDonald, who scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds. The star guard made it to the line throughout the game, shooting 10-11 from the charity stripe.
Sarah Delorey also shouldered the scoring load with 19 points, missing just two shots.
“They’re more ready. They have moments where they can settle in a little bit. That’s positive to see from them,” said Acadia head coach Len Harvey.
UNB’s Jayda Veinot, who transfered from the Acadia Axewomen, started the game strong, scoring 10 points in the first quarter. The 2022 AUS Championship MVP finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
“She’s a great player. We’ve been around each other for a long time, but we threw a couple of bodies at her. We thought we could match up with her length a little bit,” said Harvey. “She played really hard the whole game and was tough. She’s one of the toughest players to defend in the country.”
AUS MBB: StFX continues dominance
The top-seeded St. Francis Xavier University X-Men did not miss a beat, defeating the Cape Breton University Capers 94-68. StFX advances to the AUS final, where they will face the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers.
Dondre Reddick scored 25 points and shot 11-14 from the field in 22 minutes of play. He also tallied seven rebounds.
“He does that all year; it’s something regular for us,” said StFX head coach Tyrell Vernon on Reddick’s performance. “I don’t even look at the stat sheet too long; as long as we’re playing some defence and everyone is sharing the ball, then I think we’re in a good place.”
Vernon said the team’s energy was good as the team maintained the energy throughout the game.
“We were a little scattered at times, but I think we did a great job with our energy,” said Vernon.
The AUS Defensive Player of the Year dominated, as David Muenkat had 21 points and 14 rebounds. StFX feasted on the boards as they outrebounded CBU by 15.
“I think we did a great job. We came out focused on playing good defence. We strung together a lot of stops which is really good. It was able to get us a large lead early in the game,” said Muenkat.
Osman Omar poured in 20 points in his last game with the Capers. The 2021-2022 AUS MVP averaged 20.3 points per game in his AUS career.
AUS WBB: SMU advances to final after defeating UPEI
The Saint Mary’s University Huskies took care of the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers and advanced to the AUS final at the Scotiabank Centre. The 67-60 win gives SMU its first chance at an AUS title since 2016.
The Huskies could not find their shooting as they shot just 21.4 per cent from the field. However, the Huskies got to the line 36 times and shot 80.6 per cent from the charity stripe.
“Having the bye allowed us to watch both of the women’s games yesterday to see what type of calls the refs were giving. We knew going in that if we drove and were aggressive, we would get those calls,” said star guard Alaina McMillan.
McMillan got it going from distance, shooting 4-10 from 3-point range. Clara Gascoigne had 13 points, six rebounds, five steals and five blocks for SMU.
Aiden Rainford scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the loss.
SMU takes on Acadia tomorrow in the AUS final. The two sides split the season series.
“It’s going to take an effort similar to today. We’re going to have to try and make things tough on them and give them one shot on offence and take chances with our offence,” said SMU head coach Scott Munro.
AUS MBB: UPEI makes AUS final, taking down defending champs
UPEI took down the defending champion Dalhousie University Tigers 80-65 in the AUS semifinal Saturday night at the Scotiabank Centre.
AUS MVP Elijah Miller lit up the Tigers with 29 points and four assists. At last year’s AUS Championship, Miller lit up the tournament, bringing the Panthers to the AUS final, where they ultimately lost to Dal.
“We came in with that energy knowing that we didn’t want to lose again,” said Miller.
Miller is a big-time player in big-time games. He said it starts with his hard work in the offseason.
“I work hard in the offseason. I put a lot of hours in the gym, and it’s showing tonight,” said Miller.
The Panthers will face the top-seeded X-Men in the AUS final. Miller discussed the X-Men’s plethora of talent and said they would be a tough team to deal with on Sunday.
The Tigers could not get it going tonight, shooting just 31.4 per cent from the field. The dynasty seems to have ended, but Miller acknowledges what Dal has brought to the conference.
“They set the standard here in the AUS.”