St. John's, NF – The Memorial Sea-Hawks mounted a fourth quarter comeback to defeat the STFX X-Women 82-76 Saturday afternoon in AUS action, winning their second of two weekend games.
It was the X-Women who set the tempo in the early stages. An energetic start boosted the visitors to a 10-point cushion at the conclusion of the first quarter.
The second frame was more closely contested, with both squads exchanging buckets. Rebecka Ekstrom sank a trio of three-pointers to keep the hosts in contention, but veteran Kimberly Kingsbury's 10-point first half left with the X-Women with a 38-28 advantage at the halftime break.
Interim X-Women head coach Tyrone Watson would have been pleased to see his side start the second half in the same manner as they did the first. StFX used outside shooting to push their lead as high as 14.
It was the latter portion of the third quarter before Coach English's troops came to life. The Sea-Hawks utilized a 12-0 run to get the match square at 48; their first taste of equality since tip-off. Still, the X-Women weathered the storm and led by four points as the match entered the final 10 minutes.
Down the stretch, however, was when the Hawks showed why they are considered one of the premier teams in the AUS. Outscoring their opponents 28-18 in the fourth, Memorial got contributions from multiple sources, and sealed an 82-76 come-from-behind triumph.
The win leaves the Sea-Hawks at 7-3, sitting second place in the conference, and nicely positioned as the playoffs approach.
Alana Short dominated the stat line to earn Subway Player of the Game recognition. The 2019-20 AUS all-star posted a career high 34 points, in addition to 10 boards and 3 blocks. Honorable mention to rookie Alyssa Jenkins, whose energy off the bench and physical play at both ends was a catalyst for the comeback. She added 14 points, 4 boards, and 2 steals.
Tahmala Thorpe was influential for the X-Women, scoring a team-high 15 points.
With the omicron-forced disruption firmly in the rear-view mirror, the Sea-Hawks will now hone in on the Capers. Memorial heads to Cape Breton next weekend for a two-game set.
The X-Women will be at home on Feb. 25th and 26th to host the UNB Reds.
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Courtesy Memorial Sports Information
