(Halifax, NS) – In the first day of a back to back set, the Dalhousie Tigers hosted the Memorial Sea-Hawks Friday evening at the Dalplex. After a tight first half, the Tigers put together a run in the third quarter that they were able to hold on to as they took the 60-53 victory.
It was a fast paced start to the game, with fast break action toward both ends of the floor, but the shooting didn't match the pace early.
The Sea-Hawks jumped ahead to an early 7-2 lead thanks to five points from Brooklyn Wright (Cambridge, ON), but shots weren't falling consistently for either team. Over halfway through the first quarter both teams were shooting around 25% from the field.
The Tigers slowly put together a run to fight back into it with Diedre Alexander (Woodstock, NB) knocking down back to back shots from long range to tie the game up, and then take the lead.
The scoring picked up late in the quarter as both sides battled for the lead. Wright hit an outside shot to tie it up for the Sea-Hawks with under 30 seconds left, but the Tigers rushed down the floor and Michele Tchiakoua (Yaounde, Cameroon) drove to the hoop to give the Tigers the lead as time ran out in the quarter.
Heading into the second quarter, the Tigers held a 17-15 lead over the Sea-Hawks.
Sophie Gaube (Hubley, NS) was getting done on the offensive side of the floor for the Tigers in the second, creating shots off the dribble and picking up 7 points in the quarter.
The Sea-Hawks spread the offense around with a drive and kick style of attack that resulted in points in the paint as well as opening up the outside for jumpers. Brooklyn Wright still led the way in scoring with 10, while Sydney Stewart (Sarnia, ON) was behind her with six at the half.
Claire Hickman (St. John's, NL) closed out the half well for the Tigers picking up the last four points in the quarter after the Tigers displayed some tight defense in the final minutes. Hickman also went into the half with nine rebounds.
Heading into the break, the Tigers still held a two-point advantage at 30-28.
After the Tigers picked up the first two baskets of the second half, the Sea-Hawks put full court pressure on the Tigers and steals in the front court resulted in a quick 8-0 run, pushing Memorial in front.
The Tigers responded with a run of their own coming out of a timeout. Karina May (Moncton, NB) found her touch in the run, picking up six points on some tough shots, including the final shot of the quarter. Just before that, Tchiakoua put an exclamation mark on the run on a contested shot from deep with just 30 seconds left.
At the end of the third, the Tigers jumped in front 49-38.
The Tigers continued their defensive intensity in the fourth, only giving up three points in the first seven minutes of the quarter. Meanwhile, they continued to extend their lead to 17 midway through the quarter.
The Sea-Hawks put a run together with two minutes to go in the game, again picking up steals off of their full-court pressure. The run was capped off by Cameron Longley (Hubbards, NS) earning the three-point play from the line. The Sea-Hawks brought it within seven with under a minute to go, but they ran out of time in the comeback.
The Tigers outlasted the Sea-Hawks and took a 60-53 victory.
Brooklyn Wright finished with a game-high 15 points, and 10 rebounds to earn the double-double.
Claire Hickman earned the Subway Player of the Game title for the Tigers with her 11 points and game-high 14 rebounds.
The teams will face off again tomorrow in matinee action at 1:00 at the Dalplex.