Molson Weekend Summary

It was a big weekend of basketball at Memorial University with both teams playing games that had significant playoff implications against the rival UNB Varsity Reds. The women played their best basketball of the season on their way to sweeping the Varsity Reds convincingly in point guard Erin Mullaley’s final home weekend on the Sea~Hawks. The men, needing a sweep of UNB to maximize their possibility of a playoff spot, had a big win on Saturday night, but suffered from a third quarter scoring drought on Sunday that resulted in a disappointing loss.

Women’s Basketball

The Sea~Hawks hosted the University of New Brunswick this weekend and were in the driver’s seat in both contests as they played their final home games of the season. The women needed these wins as a sweep of this eight point weekend against the Reds would ensure an important first round bye in the AUS playoffs.

Sea~Hawks 85 Varsity Reds 73 (boxscore)
Memorial took to the court Saturday night focused on taking it to the Reds from the jump. They executed their game plan to a tee securing a double digit lead by the end of the first quarter behind the strong three-point shooting from Kim Devison and Erin Mullaley. The Varsity Reds would play hard in the second quarter through the low post offense of Amanda Sharpe but couldn’t cut into Memorial’s lead as the ‘Hawks went into the half with a big 48-32 lead.

The second half would be much of the same for the Sea~Hawks as they played smart, efficient basketball for the rest of the game. The Varsity Reds had no answer for the eventual HITS FM player of the game Vicki Thistle as she sliced through the UNB defence on her way to dropping a team-high 19 points while gathering 12 rebounds. Amanda Sharpe’s stellar performance of 26 points and 7 rebounds was the lone bright spot for the Reds as the team was held to just 39% shooting on the game.

All five Memorial starters reached double figures in Saturday’s action. After the game fifth year guard Erin Mullaley was commemorated for her time with the Sea~Hawks by Doug Partridge and gave a heartfelt farewell speech as she thanked her coaches and teammates for her fabulous run in the red and white. Mullaley also thanked the fans of the Sea~Hawks who she said were the best fans in the country.

Notes
In a ceremony between the third and fourth quarter of the women’s basketball game the second annual Frank T. Butler Memorial Scholarship recipient was presented by Frank’s wife Marie Butler. This year’s winner was senior women’s soccer player Leslie Pope.

Prior to Saturday night’s game rookie Emily Jameson sang the national anthem and later at halftime of the men’s game, participated in the West End Electronics Hoop It Up Challenge where she helped Zach Bill win a 42” Panasonic plasma television courtesy West End Electronics. In the challenge members of the women’s Sea~Hawks teamed with qualifiers for a shooting competition to decide the winner of the grand prize.

Sea~Hawks 91 Varsity Reds 57 (boxscore)
The Sea~Hawks picked up where they left off Sunday morning against UNB. Despite the early 0-7 deficit, the ‘Hawks played without panic and came out of the first quarter with another comfortable lead against UNB.

Behind another strong performance from Vicki Thistle, Memorial led the Reds 45-30 going into the second half where the Sea~Hawks would put the game in overdrive.

It was all Memorial in the final half, allowing the ailing Brittany Dalton and much of the starter’s to get a rest for much of the second half. Senior point guard Erin Mullaley subbed out with two minutes left in the fourth quarter to a standing ovation from the crowd as she walked off home court for the last time as a Sea~Hawk player. Mullaley’s 9 points, 8 assists, and 6 steals, with no turnovers, earned her the HITS FM player of the game honours in the decisive win over UNB.

The final score was Sea~Hawks 91 Varsity Reds 57.

Thistle was tops for the Sea~Hawks with 22 points and 8 rebounds. Robyn O’Rielly was also on fire for the Sea~Hawks, connecting on six shots from long-range for 18 points. Ten players got on the scoresheet for Memorial with the bench outscoring UNB 41-9. The victory was a complete team effort with a number of players stepping into the lineup and contributing. If the Sea~Hawks continue to play that effectively they will be tough to beat in AUS competition.

The ‘Hawks will now travel to Antigonish next weekend to take on third place St. Francis Xavier for a two game set.

Men’s Basketball

Sea~Hawks 70 Varsity Reds 58 (boxscore)
Memorial were fighting to get back into the playoff hunt this weekend as they also took on the UNB Varsity Reds for a two game series at the Field House. Even if they would be able to secure two wins at the Field House the chances of making the playoffs would be uncertain, so it was imperative that the team earn a pair of wins to maximize the possibilities.

The even matchup on paper played true to form on Saturday night as right from the jump as teams stepped up the defensive intensity. However, the Varsity Reds would struggle shooting the ball in the first half, converting on only 33% of their shots, with the ‘Hawks playing good man-to-man defense.
Memorial took advantage of turnovers and took it to the Reds in the second half by drawing contact and getting to the free throw line. With UNB getting into foul trouble early in the third and fourth quarters, the Sea~Hawks had many opportunities to build on their lead. Jason Shepherd and Mike Helsby converted on a combined 18 of 22 free throws as the ‘Hawks aggressive play allowed them to gain separation late, securing an emotional win on their home floor with the final score Sea~Hawks 70 Varsity Reds 58.

The strong play of Helsby paid dividends for the ‘Hawks, the rookie point guard finished with 20 points and 8 rebounds on the night. Jason Shepherd was named HITS FM player of the game for his strong performance on the offensive and defensive end, scoring 22 points with 7 rebounds and 2 steals.
Dustin Anthony was a bright spot for UNB. He had three three-pointers in a third quarter run that brought UNB back into the game.

Notes
Shepherd not only led the way on the scoresheet but also had a couple of key hustle plays, diving for loose balls on their way out of bounds. The home crowd was boisterous one on Saturday night. A contingent of volleyball players were out to support their fellow Sea~Hawks. Sammy the Sea~Hawk was also in fine form on Saturday night, doing his part to lead the loud home crowd in cheering.

Varsity Reds 93 Sea~Hawks 66 (boxscore)
Sunday’s game would prove to be a whole new story for the Sea~Hawks as they were through a third quarter offensive drought that they could not snap out of, on their way to a disappointing 93-66 loss.

The game was a close one for the first twenty minutes, but the old ghost of third quarter struggles, which has haunted the team this season, returned as Memorial was outscored 52-27 in the second half.

Mike Helsby once again had a strong showing with 15 points but it couldn’t revive a Sea~Hawks team that shot just 24% in the second half. The fourth quarter comeback attempt was derailed as the ‘Hawks ran into major foul trouble with big men Jason Shepherd and Ante Samodol fouling out early in the final quarter.

The Sea~Hawks had no answer for senior point guard Mike Anderson. Anderson put up a game-high 29 points on the afternoon. Alex Desroches added 16 points and 10 rebounds. UNB shot a much better 52% on Sunday. They also appeared more fired up and used the enthusiasm to attack the basket and earn their way to the free throw line 33 times, where they made good on 27 attempts.

The Sea~Hawks head to Antigonish to take on the second place X-Men this weekend for a two game set. Though they are not mathematically eliminated from playoff contention they will need to win to stay in the hunt.