X-Women Basketball splits weekend exhibition games in Ontario

The StFX X-Women Basketball team hit the road last weekend for a pair of exhibition games in Ontario as part of their pre-season preparations. The squad faced the University of Windsor Lancers on Friday night, followed by a matchup with the University of Toronto Blues on Saturday. Despite dropping the first contest 59-50, the X-Women bounced back with an impressive 82-44 victory to close out the trip.

Game 1: Windsor 59, X-Women 50

The visiting X-Women got off to a slow start in Friday's game against Windsor, as the Lancers jumped out to a 19-9 lead in the first quarter. "We were way too timid to start the game. We were loose with possession, didn't play with great energy defensively, and frankly looked a bit shell shocked that Windsor were ready to compete," commented Head Coach Matt Spencer. After trailing 37-21 at halftime, the X-Women began to find their stride. "I thought we looked a lot more assertive after the break. We started to dictate the terms defensively, we rebounded the ball better, and that led to some better offensive execution." The improved play cut the deficit to single digits heading into the final frame, as StFX trailed 36-44. Ultimately however, the poor start paired with a ghastly 7 for 15 night at the free throw line made the end result inevitable.

 
Neil Patel photo credit

Despite the loss, there were some bright spots for the X-Women. Third year guard Krissy Cooper (Hamilton, ON) led the team with 15 points and 8 rebounds, while seniors Jaya D'Souza (Brampton, ON) and Ekaterina Karchevskaya (Mogilev, BY) each contributed 8 points. The team showed defensive toughness throughout the game, holding Windsor to just 59 points, but the X-Women struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities in the final minutes. "We cut the lead to six points a couple of times in the fourth quarter, but every time we got close, Windsor made a tough shot and we just couldn't get over the hump. Not the result we wanted, but I was pleased with our effort in the second half."

D'Souza echoed her coach's summary, "We knew Windsor was going to be a tough opponent and I think in moments we showed that we can be a great defensive team. We struggled a bit on the offensive end but it's early in the year and that'll come if we keep up the defensive intensity."

Game 2: X-Women 82, Toronto 44

Saturday saw a much different X-Women team take the court. Playing with the type of tenacity and pace that led to last season's success, StFX imposed its will on the University of Toronto Blues from the opening tip. The X-Women used a suffocating defense and relentless attack to build a 17-4 lead in the first six minutes en route to the convincing win.

"We knew we had to come out with a lot more focused effort today," said Karcheskaya, who scored 12 points in the victory. "We all understood what went wrong on Friday, and we made sure to bring the energy from the start. It felt good to get back on track and show off a little bit of X-Women basketball."

Newcomer Ofer Caspi (Kabri, IL) led the offensive charge with 13 points and 3 rebounds, while second year forward Shannon Neita (Toronto, ON) stuffed the stat line with 8 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 steals. D'Souza (12 points, 5 rebounds) and Cooper (11 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, & 3 steals) continued their strong play as well.

Neil Patel photo credit

Third year wing, Lauren Neeve (Oro-Medonte, ON) set the team's defensive tone over the weekend, while also tallying 5 and 6 points, respectively. "Today was better. I think everyone came in and filled their role. Everyone was able to score some points, work as a team, and everyone just came out and hustled." Another Xaverian who made a mark at the defensive end was second year guard Abby Cameron (Glace Bay, NS). "Part of my role this year is to put heavy ball pressure to the opposing team's point guard to speed her up. Disrupting their offense early leads to more stops and hopefully more easy transition points. I'm hoping to continue this while also putting some points on the board for the team."

Nathan Oribhabor photo credit

Coach Spencer praised the team's resilience after the tough loss on Friday. "I was really, really pleased with how we bounced back today. I thought it was a good performance on the defensive side of the ball, we rebounded it really well, and then that led to nice offensive flow. Overall, I'm pretty optimistic about where we're headed."

Looking Ahead

The X-Women will continue their pre-season preparation this weekend when they host the Bishop's Gaiters for a Homecoming weekend showdown (1:30pm on Saturday, Oct. 5) at the Saputo Centre. The squad is back on the road the following week for a single game against the Brock Badgers (7:00pm on Friday, Oct. 11) at Saint Mary's University in Halifax. Finally, the X-Women will close out their pre-season exhibition schedule at the McGill Basketball Classic Tournament in Montreal on October 18-20 with games against Laurentian (2:00pm ET), UNBC (1:00pm ET), and McGill (2:00pm ET). Fans can follow the X-Women's progress throughout the pre-season on goxgo.ca

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