Capers score thrilling 80-76 victory over Sea-Hawks
Sydney, NS – The Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers (6-7) scored a nail-biting 80-76 victory over the Memorial Sea-Hawks (8-4) in Atlantic University Sport (AUS) women’s basketball action on Sunday afternoon at Sullivan Fieldhouse.
Capers score thrilling 80-76 victory over Sea-Hawks
By Corey LeBlanc
Sydney, NS – The Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers (6-7) scored a nail-biting 80-76 victory over the Memorial Sea-Hawks (8-4) in Atlantic University Sport (AUS) women's basketball action on Sunday afternoon at Sullivan Fieldhouse.
"We battled hard," veteran CBU assistant coach Doug Connors said after the win.
He added that his players came out with a "strong effort and executed."
"That's our identity – we are not going to out-talent people; we have to outwork them."
The final home game of the regular season for the Capers also served as the traditional senior day, with Rhianna MacDonald (New Waterford, NS) and Ava Prosser (Johnstown, ON) honored for their contributions to CBU basketball – not only on and off the court, but also in the classroom.
"We talked about coming out and playing hard for our two seniors (MacDonald and Prosser) and [CBU head coach] Fabe (McKenzie, who missed the game with an illness), and we did that," Connors said.
After a slow start in the first quarter for both teams, CBU – sparked by a shot from downtown from Hannah Smith (Bedford, NS) and an old-fashioned three-point play from Chermensa van la Parra (Rotterdam, Netherlands) – fashioned a 9-0 run and took an early 13-2 advantage.
The Sea-Hawks answered with a three-pointer from Inés Salat Margarit (Barcelona, Spain) and a lay-up from Rebecka Ekström (Stockholm, SWE), who completed a nifty three-way passing play on the fast break, which tightened the CBU edge.
For the lion's share of the opening stanza, the Capers' lead hovered around double digits, with the home side leading 20-11 after the first quarter.
Ignited by consecutive three-pointers from Salat Margarit and a go-ahead basket from Hannah Green (Flatrock, NL) – the Sea-Hawks started the second quarter with a 14-3 spurt and took their first lead at 25-23.
After veteran point guard MacKenzee Ryan (Glace Bay, NS) canned six straight points – including a shot from beyond the arc and a hoop-and-hard three-point play – the Capers bounced back into the lead at 29-25.
That offensive burst from Ryan, along with a pair of baskets from forward Kiyara Letlow (Toronto, ON) and a lay-up from Hailey MacLeod (Marion Bridge, NS) at the buzzer, helped CBU finish the second quarter on a 17-6 run.
The Capers led 40-31 at halftime.
After the Sea-Hawks pulled within five points – at 44-39 – early in the third quarter, CBU responded with a three-pointer from Ryan and a three-point effort from van la Parra, which extended their lead back to double digits at 50-39.
With three minutes remaining, the Sea-Hawks – on the strength of a 14-3 run, which included 10 consecutive points from Salat Margarit – knotted the contest 53-53.
Down the stretch of the third quarter, the sides traded points, with Memorial taking a razor-thin 60-58 edge to the fourth.
At that outset of the final stanza, the teams struggled to score.
After Ryan hit a three-pointer to give the Capers a 63-62 edge, the Sea-Hawks mustered a 7-0 burst, which gave them a 69-63 advantage midway through the fourth quarter.
On four consecutive points from Short, Memorial led 75-71, but MacLeod narrowed the gap with a key hoop-and-harm on the interior.
Down the stretch, van la Parra drove and scooped in a lay-up, while the front-court tandem of MacLeod and Letlow canned foul shots to help seal the deal.
Ryan led the Capers with 21 points, while adding six rebounds and five assists, while Letlow – the Subway player of the game – and MacLeod both finished with double-doubles, with 18 points and 21 rebounds and 19 points and 15 rebounds, respectively, with van la Parra also hitting double digits with 15 points.
For the Sea-Hawks, Salat Margarit finished with a game-high 28 points, while contributing eight rebounds, six assists, and one steal, while Alana Short added a double-double – 16 points and 12 rebounds. Ekström added 10 points and six rebounds.
The Capers will return to action on Friday, March 4, when they travel to Fredericton to tip-off against the UNB Reds, while the Sea-Hawks will face the Saint Mary's Huskies in Halifax on Saturday,
March 5.
Game time for both match-ups is 6 p.m. AST (6:30 p.m. NT).
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