Men’s Basketball
Two close games, two blown leads for the Tigers.
It was a frustrating weekend for the Tigers as they dropped a pair of games against the UPEI Panthers on the road. On Friday, the Tigers built up a 14 point lead at halftime, but the Panthers clawed their way back and tied the game to send it into overtime. The Tigers couldn’t match the Panthers intensity in OT as they would go on to loss 89-82. They were without star big man Devon Stedman for a majority of the game, who had to be taken off the court earlier in the game after suffering a season-ending knee injury. Kashrell Lawrence led the Tigers with 25 points and eight rebounds in the loss, while rookie guard Sean Dodds chipped in a career-high 17 points.
On Saturday, the Tigers came out hot again and they led by 11 points going into the final quarter as they looked to get at least one win out of the two-game set. The Tigers had been in control for the entire game, and they’d led by as many as 19 points with under two minutes to go in the third quarter.
They’d see another large lead slip away as the Panthers dropped 31 points in the final frame to overcome the Tigers 94-89 to dropping them to 5-3 on the season. The pair of losses also drops the Tigers into second place in the AUS as the Panthers claim the top spot.
Jarred Reid had a team-high 21 points in the loss to go along with six boards and five assists, while Ritchie Kanza Mata (12 points, 10 assists) and Kashrell Lawrence (11 points, 10 rebounds) added double-doubles.
The Tigers will look to get back to their winning ways when they face the StFX X-Men on Tuesday night at 8:00pm at the Dalplex.
Women’s Basketball
It was a polarizing weekend for the Tigers as they split a pair of games on the road against the UPEI Panthers.
On Friday, the Tigers stumbled out of the gate in the first quarter as they got down 19-8 but they used a monster third quarter to propel themselves to a 76-57 victory. The Tigers couldn’t get the three-ball to fall in their favour as they only managed to connect on 4 of 21 attempts, but they came up big on the defensive end and limited the Panthers to shooting just 33.3% from the field.
Courtney Thompson led the way with a double-double for the Tigers as she dropped 15 points and grabbed 10 boards. Kristy Moore was key defensively for the Tigers, grabbing six steals on the night to go along with 11 points, six rebounds and five assists.
On Saturday, the Tigers trailed by only two points going into halftime but the Panthers prevailed in the second half as they outscored them 40-27 to take the 73-58 victory. This was just the second double-digit loss for the Tigers all season, who still sit in second place in the AUS with a 5-3 record.
Courtney Thompson had a team-high 22 points in the loss, while Tessa Stammberger added nine points and five rebounds. Thompson’s 22.1 points per game average sets her firmly in the lead in the AUS, while she ranks second in the entire country.
The Tigers will have a crucial week coming up as they have two four-point games at the Dalplex. They’ll kick off the week with a tilt against the StFX X-Women on Tuesday night, and then they’ll take on the UNB Varsity Reds on Saturday night, with both games tipping off at 6:00pm.
Men’s Hockey
The Tigers split a pair of games at home this weekend against the StFX X-Men and the Saint Mary’s Huskies.
On Friday, Fabian Walsh scored two goals and Corbin Boes made 38 saves as the Tigers stunned the StFX X-Men 3-2, despite being outshot 40-17.
The Tigers opened up a 3-0 lead going into the third period as they fended off heavy pressure from the X-Men. They’d finally get a puck past Boes when they made it a 3-1 game six minutes into the third, and a late goal with two minutes left made it a 3-2 game. The X-Men went on an all-out attack on the Tigers, and with their goalie pulled they poured the shots on Boes, who stopped puck after puck. He made a huge glove save with ten seconds left, and after the X-Men won the ensuing faceoff, there was a mad scramble in front of the net. Boes and the rest of the Tigers stood tall and they came away with a 3-2 victory.
On Saturday, the Tigers couldn’t follow up Friday night’s dramatic performance with a win as they fell 5-1 to the Saint Mary’s Huskies. After the Huskies scored an early goal, Andrew Wigginton added a power play marker in the final minute of the first period to tie the game at one heading into the first intermission.
The Huskies would add three goals in the second period and they’d tack on one more in the third as they skated away to a 5-1 victory over the Tigers, who now sit five points out of a playoff spot with a 5-13-1 record.
Women’s Hockey
The Tigers dropped a pair of games on the weekend as they dropped to 5-10-0 on the season.
On Friday, the Tigers faced the first-place StFX X-Women and they got into a hole early, going down 3-0 after the first period. After a scoreless second period, Elizabeth MacArthur added a power play goal six minutes into the third period to trim the deficit to two. This would be as close as the Tigers would get however, and the X-Women added a late goal to secure the 4-1 victory. Jeanne Morin made 33 saves in the loss for the Tigers.
On Sunday, the Tigers squared off against the Saint Mary’s Huskies as they looked to get a crucial two points against their cross-town rival.
Victoria Macintosh scored midway through the second period to open up the scoring as the Tigers held a 1-0 advantage in an extremely tight affair as they headed into the third. The Huskies would strike back in the third period, tying on the power play the game with just over four minutes left in the period. Just after the tying goal, the Tigers got called for too many women on the ice and they were forced to go on the penalty kill once again. The Huskies would make them pay again as they scored their second power play goal of the period to get a 2-1 lead as they’d go on to win.
Jessica Severeyns made 21 saves in the loss for the Tigers.
The Tigers will look to get the momentum back in their favour when they face the last-place Mount Allison Mounties on Wednesday night at the Halifax Forum. Puck drop is at 7:00pm.
Women’s Volleyball
The Tigers started 2015 off right with a commanding 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-16) victory over the Acadia Axewomen. They dominated the Axewomen all game long and never allowed more than 16 points in a set. First-year Mieke Dumont was named the Subway player of the game after posting 11 kills and eight digs in the game, while Anna Dunn-Suen registered eight kills and seven digs. Dunn-Suen now ranks fifth in the AUS in kills per set.
The win is the Tigers fourth in their last five games as they improve to 4-6 on the season after an 0-5 start. They now sit third in the AUS and they look poised for another deep playoff run. They’ll look to keep the ball rolling when they face the Cape Breton Capers next Sunday on the road.