THE MATCHUP
Sea-Hawks will be hosting Dalhousie Tigers this weekend as they continue their AUS season after taking December off. This will be the first matchup between the two teams this season and it will be important for both teams to prevail as the winning side could come up with 8 points on the weekend. The story for these two teams couldn't have been more opposite. The Tigers are sitting at last place in the AUS with a record of 1 win and 5 losses, moving closer to being eliminated from contention early in the season. Their offense has suffered so far this season as they are only scoring 55.7 points per game which is the lowest in the AUS. Their only win in the season came against StFX which also has a bad record of 1 win and 7 losses. Even though the Sea-Hawks are expected to take both games and get the job done, the Tigers still have players that the defense will need to focus on. Their leading scorer and rebounder is Chloe Wilson, a first year forward that averages 14.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Memorial will have to stop Wilson from doing damage inside and by doing that will eliminate a huge chunk of Tigers' scoring threat. Another player that is a bright sport for Dalhousie this season is their 5th year guard Chelsea Slawter-Wright. Slawter-Wright is averaging 12.3 points and 3.3 assists per game all while shooting 37 percent on 4.5 3-pointers attempted. If the Sea-Hawks manage to stop this duo, there is no doubt they will continue their successful start to the season.
HAWKS EYE
Sea-Hawks started this season on the tear and are currently holding the first place in the AUS, winning 6 out of their 8 games so far. After reaching the AUS finals last season and graduating their two All-Stars Sydney Stewart and Sydney Ezekiel, the group rallied and is providing some excellent basketball for the fans in St. John's. One of the players that is responsible for such a magnificent start is an early MVP candidate Haille Nickerson. The 5th year guard has played exceptionally well to start the season and is currently leading the AUS in points per game with 22.9 points per game. Nickerson is also averaging 5.1 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game, showing that she isn't only an offensive behemoth, but can influence the game on multiple levels.
Nickerson believes that the two-way game will be the key for this weekend: "I think being aggressive on defense this weekend to force turnovers and get steals will allow us to get out and run in transition to score. Our defense will spur our offense"
The Sea-Hawks have 2 players that fit a similar, two-way pattern, Alana Short and Sammi Deakin-Sharpe. Short is having a great sophomore year this season, as she is averaging 13.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and almost 2 assists. She is proving this season she is a consistent contributor not only on offense, but on the defensive end as well where she is averaging 1.6 steals per game.
Short seems hopeful for the second half of the season: "We are going to try and build on the first half of the season by working together as a team and hustling on both ends of the court". When asked about the goals for this weekend, Short said: "We are especially going to focus on rebounding and pushing the ball in transition"
Deakin-Sharpe is a big factor why the Sea-Hawks have started this good as she missed most of last year with a head injury. In her return she has been amazing, averaging 12.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, while also providing a stellar presence on the defensive end. The Sea-Hawks have the luxury of multiple players who can be a big threat offensively while being able to defend multiple positions effectively on the defensive end which is why they had a lot of success this season. "The ability to switch helps us out because we can defend any line up that's thrown at us, as well as taking advantages of mismatches on the offensive end", Deakin-Sharpe said.
If the Sea-Hawks stay disciplined on both ends of the floor and exhibit the brand of basketball from the first half of the season, there should be no problem for them for taking care of business at their home court.
COACHES COMMENTS
Head Coach Mark English believes that the team will need to ease back to playing mode after the December break. "It has been a long break for the league, so it is exciting to be getting back on the court this weekend. I think we are going to just focus on each possession and try and get in rhythm early on Saturday. If we can do that, we will give ourselves a chance to get off to a good start in game 1". When asked about the points of emphasis for the weekend English said: "I think the key to our matchup with Dal this weekend is to keep them off the glass offensively and limit their second and third chances. They work extremely hard on both ends of the floor, so we need to match that intensity"