X-Women fall 55-40 to reigning AUS champion Huskies

(ANTIGONISH, NS) - The first-place and CIS No. 10-ranked Saint Mary's Huskies defeated the StFX X-Women 55-40 in AUS basketball action Wednesday evening.

The reigning AUS champions scored the first 10 points of the game and never looked back in front of more than 200 fans at Oland Centre.

The X-Women did not hit the scoreboard until there was 5:27 remaining in the first quarter, when guard Melissa Gottschall (Antigonish, N.S.) connected on her second of two free-throw attempts.

The Huskies, who led by as many as 28 points, took a 36-12 advantage to the locker room.

"We are not executing well," X-Women sophomore forward Shannon Hatch (Arzo, SUI) said at halftime, noting her team's troubles on the boards, especially defensively. "They had too many second shots, which is killing us right now," she added.

The Huskies outrebounded the X-Women 18-7, including eight on the offensive glass.

In the opening 20 minutes, Saint Mary's shot 43.8 percent, while StFX made only 15.8 per cent of their attempts.

To start the third quarter, the X-Women held the Huskies scoreless for more than five minutes, but they could only muster one point on the offensive end in the same time frame. With a 9-0 run late in the quarter, Saint Mary's led by as many as 31 points.

Sparked by intense defense and better work on the offensive boards, the X-Women outscored the Huskies 20-8 in the fourth quarter.

"We left it on the court. We wanted it more," X-Women junior guard Courtney Kilyk (Fonthill, Ont.) said of the improved effort in the final 10 minutes.

"We went after every loose ball and player much better team basketball," she added.

Kilyk scored nine points, while contributing two steals, in the fourth quarter rally. She made four of her five shot attempts from the field.

Junior forward Lindsay Lessard (Waterloo, Ont.) led the X-Women with 10 points, while adding five rebounds and four assists.

Freshman forward Jamellia Clark (Las Vegas, NV) contributed six points and six rebounds off the bench, while Hatch corralled three steals.

Kennisha-Shanice Luberisse (Montreal, Que.), a first-year guard, scored a game-high 18 points for the Huskies. She added seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

Veterans Angelina Carvery (Halifax, N.S.) and Laura Langille (Bedford, N.S.) also hit double figures for Saint Mary's with 11 points apiece.

Freshman post Shanieka Wood (Ajax, Ont.) chipped in six points, eight rebounds and two assists for the winners.

The Huskies won the battle of the boards 33 to 19, while they committed 25 turnovers, compared to 24 by the X-Women.

Saint Mary's (11-1) will to return to action Saturday, Jan. 31, when they face the cross-town rival Dalhousie Tigers (8-4).

The X-Women (4-9) will tip-off against the Memorial Sea-Hawks (5-7), when they travel to St. John's for a pair of games this weekend (Saturday and Sunday).

Source: StFX Communications