Bianca Helmig sets Acadia assist record in road loss at STFX
The Acadia Axewomen dropped a 67–52 decision to the St. Francis Xavier X-Women on Friday night at Coach K Court, despite a milestone performance from Bianca Helmig.
With the result, Acadia (13-5) remains tied with StFX for second place in the AUS standings, as both teams continue to jockey for position heading into the conference championship. The top two teams at the end of the regular season will earn byes into the AUS tournament.
Helmig led Acadia with 18 points and, in the second quarter, recorded her league-leading assist that moved her past former Axewomen standout and current assistant coach Haley McDonald to become Acadia's all-time assists leader. The milestone came as the Axewomen attempted to cut into a growing deficit.
StFX established control early, opening the game with an 8-0 run capped by a three-pointer from Mikaela James. Acadia responded with a 9-2 run of its own to close the gap, but the X-Women regained momentum and carried a 21-11 lead into the first-quarter break.
The home side continued to dictate play in the second quarter, outscoring Acadia 11-5 in the opening minutes. While the Axewomen showed flashes of offensive rhythm and continued to battle on both ends of the floor, StFX maintained its advantage and took a 41-26 lead into halftime.
Both teams struggled to score early in the third quarter, but StFX extended its lead midway through the frame with five straight points from Ayla White. Acadia worked to steady its play and generated quality looks, but the deficit remained at 20 points heading into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter featured a more even exchange, with Acadia competing defensively and pushing the pace, but the Axewomen were unable to close the gap. StFX controlled the tempo down the stretch to secure the win in front of its home crowd.
White led all scorers with 19 points for StFX, earning Player of the Game honours. James and Shannon Neita also contributed key baskets as the X-Women maintained their position near the top of the conference standings.
