Axewomen open regular season with win over visiting Capers

WOLFVILLE, N.S. - The Acadia Axewomen won their home-opener against the Cape Breton Capers by a score of 92-71 on Saturday evening.

The defending AUS champions came out strong in the first quarter, scoring 27 points off of 12 of 24 shooting from the field. Haley McDonald (Port Williams, N.S.) contributed 12 points and two three-pointers to lead all players.

The Axewomen committed seven fouls in the first quarter and allowed the Capers 10 shots from the line, but their defence was able to hold CBU off to only 5 field goals made. The score after the first 10 minutes favoured Acadia 27-17.

Acadia built their lead to 12 points after two quarters. Their defence played a large part in maintaining their lead in a quarter where the Axewomen weren't shooting as well as they typically do.

Fouls continued to pile up for both teams, restricting minutes for several key players including McDonald's.

Acadia led 45-33 at halftime.

After three quarters, the game seemed out of reach for the Capers. Acadia held a 69-53 lead and their defence seemed unpenetrable. The Capers were forced to take difficult shots and their shooting percentage showed just that.

The final score read 92-71 for Acadia.

Cape Breton's MacKenzee Ryan (Glace Bay, N.S.) had 22 points on 8/22 shooting, more than any other player on her team. Ryan's offensive performance earned her the Capers' Player of the Game award.

Jayda Veinot (Port Williams, N.S.) of the Axewomen finished with a game-high 26 points and added 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Veinot had an excellent first game of the season and was named the Subway Player of the Game.

Following the game, Veinot was asked about how the team achieved a great shooting efficiency with just under 44% from the floor.

"In preseason we started a little bit to shoot, so all week it was really important we got in so we were practicing every day, but we were making sure we got in as many shots as possible. We were also talking about the type of shot we are taking, so we are not taking as many contested shots but more wide-open shots because we are getting more penetration," noted Veinot.

The Axewomen rebounded well with a 45-31 rebounding advantage over the Capers. Off the bench, Deidre Harris and Julia Sylvester led the Axewomen with 9 and 8 rebounds respectively. Haley McDonald added 25 points to the Axewomen's offense.

Teams will face off for a rematch tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m.

Provided by Theodore Giesen, Acadia Athletics Communications Office