ANTIGONISH, NS - The STFX X-Women made it two wins in a row with a hard fought 76-69 victory over the Memorial Sea-Hawks on Saturday night on Coach K Court. With the win, STFX's record on the season is now 4-6, giving them the most wins they've had in a season since 2015-2016.
STFX's Shannon Neita (Toronto, ON) led the way for the home side, with 11 points and 18 rebounds, while Ekaterina Karchevskaya (Mogilev, BY) had a game high 24 points and seven rebounds, and Katie Upham (North River, NS) scored 15 points along with four assists and five rebounds.
For the Sea-Hawks, whose record is now 5-7, Alana Short (Barrie, ON) netted 23 points along with eight rebounds, while Alyssa Jenkins (St. John's, NL) had 15 points and 9 rebounds, and Rebecka Ekstrom (Stockholm, SW) finished with 12 points and two rebounds.
The first quarter was tight, with the teams tied 5-5 after the first three minutes. The X-Women's work on the boards helped them create chances but Memorial's offence kept the score close. A late run by the home team gave them a 20-15 lead heading into the second quarter.
STFX's Katie Upham (North River, NS) continued her strong play from Friday night, hitting a pair of threes before halftime, and her teammates continued to create points off turnovers. The X-Women lead by 11 with only a few minutes to play in the half, and the Sea-Hawks continued to put points on the board and stay in the game. It was a physical first half, with STFX getting tagged for 12 fouls versus Memorial's six, and the X-Women held a 43-31 lead heading to the locker room at halftime.
The Sea-Hawks had a strong start to the third quarter and cut the lead to three, outscoring STFX 21-12 in the first seven minutes. A late push by the home team left the score 59-54 in favour of the X-Women heading into the fourth quarter.
A 5-0 run in the first two minutes of the final quarter saw the Sea-Hawks draw even, but the X-Women followed up with a 12-point run of their own, holding a 10 point lead with three minutes to play. The visitors tried to close the gap, but the X-Women held on for the win.
Neita earned AUS player of the game honours for her efforts for the X-Women.
STFX next hit the court on Saturday, January 13 at 6 p.m. when they visit Acadia. Memorial is off next week, before hosting UNB on Friday, January 19 at 6 p.m.
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Recap courtesy Matt Draper, STFX Athletics