Halifax, NS – The X-Women basketball team competed at the Dyrick McDermott Invitational tournament at Mount Saint Vincent this weekend and posted a 3-0 record.
StFX had wins over Mount Allison (71-41), MSVU (70-69) and St. Thomas (68-59). Their 3-0 record qualified them to compete in the championship game on Sunday but due to pending inclement weather, the X-Women elected to travel home Saturday evening.
The AUS all-star team (3-0) and Dalhousie (3-0) were slated to compete for the tournament title Sunday at 1:00 pm.
"I am very pleased with the three games we played in the Dyrick McDermott tournament," comments X-Women head coach Augy Jones. "Each game had a different challenge we had to deal with. I thought our young players really continued their growth within those games."
"I am also happy to see the emergence of Lindsay Lessard as a consistent all-star performer for us. I think we are very prepared for the second half of the AUS season."
Lessard was the leading StFX scorer in each of their three games, including Friday afternoon's 71-41 victory over Mount Allison.
The third year forward scored 18 points and had 11 rebounds for the X-Women, while Melissa Gottschall contributed 11 points. Kolbi Roper returned from injury and played nine minutes, scoring 3 points and hauling in 10 rebounds.
Freshman guard Jennifer McTague scored 8 points and Emma Taylor received player of the game honors for the X-Women with 4 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals.
Maddyson McDonald was player of the game for the Mounties with 16 points while MacKenzie Gray scored 10.
The X-Women held a 33-25 halftime lead en route to the win.
Their second game on Friday night was much closer as they needed the full 40 minutes to pull out a 70-69 victory over the host MSVU squad.
Second year post Kayla MacIntyre grabbed a rebound and scored the winning layup for StFX with 12 seconds left to play in the game.
The two teams were tied at 51 heading into the fourth quarter and exchanged leads until the final basket was scored.
StFX held a slim 33-32 lead at halftime.
Lessard received player of the game honors for the X-Women, netting a game-high 25 points and getting 12 rebounds.
Shannon Hatch scored 13 points and had 4 boards while Gottschall scored 10 points and garnered 5 rebounds.
MacIntyre scored 9 points for the blue and white and guard Courtney Kilyk contributed 7.
Replying for the MSVU Mystics was player of the game Maddy Hiscock with 19 points, with Kara Hayes and Keionia Beals each scored 11.
In their final tournament action, StFX defeated St. Thomas 68-59 on Saturday evening.
The Tommies held the X-Women close throughout the opening half and were leading 32-31 at halftime before the X-Women pulled ahead for a 54-46 lead after the third quarter.
Lessard was the top X scorer with19 points and 9 rebounds. Gottschall scored 14 and MacIntyre netted 8. First year StFX post Jamellia Clark received player of the game honors with 6 points and 7 rebounds.
Hilary Goodine was the player of the game for the Tommies, scoring 15 points and securing 9 rebounds. Maggie Murphy scored 14 and Jayme Hunt netted 10.
The X-Women (3-4) next see action on Tuesday, January 6th when they resume AUS regular season play. They will host the Cape Breton Capers (2-5) at 6:00 pm at the StFX Oland Centre. The two teams are currently tied for fifth place in the AUS standings with Tuesday's game being worth four points.