Axewomen win first of two game weekend at MUN

St. JOHN'S, Nfld. - The Acadia Axewomen secured a 91-68 road victory over the Memorial Sea-Hawks on Saturday night from The Field House.  

Starting the weekend series versus the Axewomen, Memorial came out with a strong first quarter. There was a strong back-and-forth competition between both teams, with multiple lead changes. Brooklyn Wright had a great first quarter for Memorial. The Axewomen had a different agenda for the second quarter, coming out with a purpose to pressure the ball and create turnovers for easy points. Acadia outscored Memorial 23-11 in the second quarter; at the half, Acadia held a 46-35 lead. 

The third quarter was a solid performance for both teams. Acadia had difficulty keeping their lead during times of pressure. The Axewomen may have been scoring well overall, but they left many points on the floor with multiple missed layups in transition. For the Sea-Hawks, their defense struggled at times, allowing too many second-chance points and easy penetration buckets. 

Paloma Anderson of the Axewomen had an incredible game, on offense and especially on defense. Anderson was able to put up 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists. Her defensive contribution was even more impressive, forcing 8 turnovers on Memorial and earning herself Subway Player of the Game commendations. Ellen Hatt had a strong performance as well, pouring in a healthy 27 points off the bench for the Axewomen. 

Brooklyn Wright was the bright spot for the Sea-Hawks, posting 26 in the game, with 14 coming in the first quarter. Hallie Nickerson provided another dose of offense for the Hawks, taking a spot in the starting rotation and dropping 16 points. 

The Hawks will look to take the next game against the Axewomen following tonight's loss. The Axewomen improve to 12-1 on the season; Memorial falls to 7-6, losing their third place seed. The second game of the weekend tips off at 12:00pm and will be available on AUStv.ca. 

Contributed by Jacob Riche, Memorial Athletics Communications Office