CBU women win over MUN in AUS basketball action

CBU women win over MUN in AUS basketball action

By Corey LeBlanc

SYDNEY – The Cape Breton University CAPERS (6-2) cruised to a convincing 87-63 victory over the Memorial Sea-Hawks (1-8) Friday night in Atlantic University Sport (AUS) women's basketball action at Sullivan Fieldhouse.

In her return from a one-game absence, Kiyara Letlow (Toronto, ON) – the player of the game – led the way for the home side with a game-high 23 points and 13 rebounds – completing the double-double – while adding six assists and one blocked shot.

Late in a see-saw first quarter, Serena Phillips (St. John's, NL) scored five consecutive points to give the visitors a short-lived 16-13 edge.

The CAPERS finished the opening 10 minutes with an 8-0 spurt to take a 21-16 lead heading into the second quarter.

CBU started that stanza with a 10-2 run – keyed by the interior play of Letlow – and took a double-digit edge at 31-18.

After the Sea-Hawks replied with five consecutive points, the CAPERS exploded from the three-point line, including back-to-back buckets from beyond the arc from Emily MacNeil (Trenton, NS) and Alicia Bowering (Orangeville, ON) to extend their lead to 39-23.

Chermensa van la Parra (Rotterdam, Netherlands), back in the line-up after a six-game absence due to injury, drained a deep three-pointer down the stretch as the CAPERS took a 48-27 advantage to the locker room at halftime.

In the second half, the CAPERS continued their strong offensive play, highlighted by the inside prowess of Letlow and deft three-point shooting. CBU finished 13-for-25 from downtown, with six different players finding the range.

The Sea-Hawks battled in the final two quarters but they could not shrink the lead to anything less than 20 points, with the CAPERS going up by as many as 26.

In her return, van la Parra – off the bench – finished with 15 points, six assists and one steal, while veteran shooting guard Hannah Smith chipped in 12 points – on four three-pointers – along with three assists and one steal. Bowering and MacNeil also scored in double figures for the CAPERS, with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Phillips – off the bench – led Memorial with 17 points, going six-for-six from the field, while adding four rebounds and one steal. Brooklyn Martens (Caronport, SK) and Eavan MacLaughlin (Beaverdam, NB) contributed 15 and 11 points, respectively, while Alyssa Jenkins (St. John's, NL) chipped in eight points and 10 rebounds.

The teams will return to the court on Saturday, Nov. 30, at Sullivan Fieldhouse, in a 2 p.m. tip-off.