Matchup
The Sea-Hawks (7-5) compete against the Acadia Axewomen (11-1) this weekend. After taking their first loss of the season, Acadia will be looking to bounce back; Memorial will hopefully have other plans as they will try and capitalize on the Axewomen' loss of momentum.
Last Action
After splitting their last two game series against the Dalhousie Tigers (5-8), Memorial will be looking for more wins this weekend. Acadia will be a challenge, as they swept the Sea-Hawks in their first series of the season. With more experience through the season, the Hawks will be hoping for a better outcome than the last meeting with the Axewomen. Acadia will certainly be trying to continue their dominance over Memorial and return to a winning streak after their first loss of the season in an upset against UPEI (6-6).
By The Numbers
39.0% - Acadia is currently ranked third in the AUS in field goal percentage. If Memorial wants to find success against this strong team, they will have to be able to shut down the offense as well as create their own, especially in transition, where the Hawks seem to be the most comfortable. Acadia also ranks first in the AUS in three-point percentage (31.2%).
68.7% - Memorial is not shooting an ideal percentage from the line this season, being the fifth best team in the AUS. Acadia is just above them in fourth with 69.4%. The team that can get to the line and convert may be the team that determines victory this weekend.
48.9 – Acadia is a team that has great confidence in securing the missed shot, on both ends of the floor, earning them the top spot for rebounds in the AUS. Beneath the Axewomen are the Sea-Hawks in second place. Despite splitting the top two spots, there is a notable separation between the stats; Memorial averages nearly ten fewer rebounds than Acadia (39.8).
3 – Acadia has three players ranking in the top ten for most points per game (Paloma Anderson, Haley McDonald, Alexandra Barry). Memorial will have to be aware of these offensive threats and find ways to neutralize their talents.
Player Spotlight
Haille Nickerson (Memorial) – In the final game of the last weekend series against Dalhousie, Nickerson came off the bench and provided a whopping 25 points, on 11/17 shooting with a three-point bomb as well, marking her scoring contributions all over the court. Hopefully, Nickerson will be able to provide such potent offense off the bench this coming weekend as well.
Lindsay Taylor (Memorial) – In a shooting expose, Taylor knocked down 4 threes in their final of the two game series against Dal. She finished with 20 in total, putting up a field goal percentage just under fifty percent (7/15). In the coming series against Acadia, Taylor will be looking to drop in as many open looks as she can from three-point land to give Memorial the edge.
Paloma Anderson (Acadia) – With such solid numbers on the season, it is hard not to game plan around preventing her from getting the ball. Posting nearly 18 points per game, as well as almost six rebounds and five assists, Anderson becomes a real problem on both ends of the floor. Even more impressive is the fact that she is achieving these statistics while maintaining respectable percentages on the floor (44.5% FG, 46.7% 3P, 80.4% FT). Memorial will certainly have their hands full in keeping Anderson in check in both games of the coming series.