Matchup
The Memorial Sea-Hawks, who finished the season at 9-11, face off against the UNB Reds (12-8) in the first round of the playoffs on Friday at 1:30PM NST. The winner will move on to face the #1 seeded Cape Breton Capers (18-2) on Saturday in the semifinals.
Last Action
Memorial split a series this past weekend against the visiting Dalhousie Tigers, securing the 5th seed. The 4th seeded Varsity Reds come into the game on a 3-game win streak, picking up wins against Dalhousie, Saint Mary's and Acadia.
By The Numbers
82 – The average number of points that UNB has scored against the Sea-Hawks in 2 games this season, compared to the team's season average of 70.2 points per game. The Hawks will have to play better defensively and limit them to closer to their season average in order to move on to the next round.
5-2 – The Hawks come into Friday's matchup 5-2 in their last 7 games, and the Varsity Reds are 6-2 in their last 8 games. Playoff matchups often come down to whatever team is the hottest at the time, and this matchup sees two very hot teams face off, so it is bound to be a competitive game.
Coach's Comments
Head Coach Mark English says that the team needs to take a deep breath and play basketball, saying that they need to let their preparation keep their confidence high. When asked what his team will need to do against UNB, he responded by saying, "UNB are a very physical team that rebound on both ends very well. We need to match their physicality and focus on winning the rebounding battle."
English finished up by talking about the four seniors that are about to start their final playoff run, stating that, "Our 5th years have all had incredible careers. I hope we can make a run this weekend and keep their careers going even longer."
Player Spotlight
Sydney Stewart – She is coming off of a career season in which she averaged 21.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists while being named an AUS 1st Team All-Star. Stewart is the engine that drives the Sea-Hawks and when she was asked about being named an AUS 1st Team All-Star, she had this to say, "For me, it really is an honour to be an all-star in a league so full of exceptional players. It means a lot, especially in my last year." I also asked her what her team needs to do to be successful this weekend, to which she responded, "We just need to bring focus and play the full forty minutes the way we know how, and the rest will come."
Mikaela Dodig – Dodig is the leading scorer for the Varsity Reds, averaging 15.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists during the regular season. She is averaging 19.6 points per game in February, and scored 27 points on 10-21 shooting in UNB's last outing against the Acadia Axewomen. The Hawks will look to slow her down, along with double digit scorers Eva Tumwine and Grace Simpson, in order to have success against the Reds and advance to the semifinals.