Eagles survive late Huskies comeback to take fifth place with 63-52 win
Eagles survive late Huskies comeback to take fifth place with 63-52 win
The King's University Eagles survived a spirited fourth-quarter comeback by the Keyano College Huskies to record a 63-52 win and claim fifth place in the ACAC Women's Basketball Championships.
The Huskies trailed by 10 points going into the final period before charging back to take a one-point lead. The Eagles shook off the punch and regained their poise down the stretch to close out the victory.
Eagles head coach Brian Anstice wasn't surprised by the Keyano comeback. "They're a very good team, well coached," he noted.
After losing the lead, "our kids persevered," he added. "They didn't give up and kept fighting and they came back. As a coach, you can't ask for more than that."
Anstice had praise for the Eagles' point guard, Megan Aleman (first year, Science, Lethbridge), who earned Player of the Game honours after collecting 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
"She was playing in front of a lot of friends and family, and she played super well. Over the season, she's just gotten better and better and better."
Another key in the Eagles' win was keeping Keyano's All-Conference Second Team forward Maja Besic (third year, Business Administration, Belgrade) under control. King's held Besic to 12 points on six-for-11 shooting.
"We fronted her," said Anstice. "We felt that was the best way to play against her. She's very good in the post. We helped off the bottom if they did get the ball in to her."
Anstice said this marked the final game for his assistant coach, Darren Aughtry, and he was pleased that Aughtry could go out with a win. Anstice was also delighted for his Eagles players, noting this was the first time in 12 years the team had been to the ACAC playoffs.
Aneilia Ayotte (second year, Science, St. Albert) contributed 14 points and 13 rebounds to the Eagles' effort while Kayla Soetaert (first year, Politics, History, Economics, Spruce Grove) added eight points.
Joy Victor (fourth year, Business Administration, Tortola, British Virgin Islands) scored 10 points for the Huskies and Zera Panesa (fifth year, Business Administration, Winnipeg) had eight.
A low-scoring first quarter ended with the Eagles holding a 9-7 edge as both teams shot just 20 per cent in the period. The shooting picked up in the second quarter, with several lead changes before King's built a 33-25 halftime lead.
The Eagles opened up a 44-30 lead with just over six minutes left in the third quarter. They displayed poise in breaking the Huskies' full-court press on offence, while defensively, they effectively collapsed the middle to shut down Keyano's lanes to the basket.
Keyano trimmed the margin to 46-39 late in the quarter before a three-pointer by Ella Majeau restored a 10-point lead. The period ended with King's in front 51-41.
The tide turned early in the fourth quarter as the Huskies began to find room inside. Four straight baskets, three of them by Besic, cut the deficit to 51-49 with seven and a half minutes to play. Keyano finally took the lead at the 5:40 mark when Kayla Lutterodt (fifth year, Business Administration - HR, Stony Plain, Man.) scored inside.
The Eagles regained the lead on a basket by Ayotte, and the team appeared to regain its poise. A jumper by Ella Majeau (second year, Social Science, Spruce Grove) gave King's a 58-52 advantage, and the Eagles pulled away in the final minutes to close out the win.
Players of the Game:
Eagles: #13 Megan Aleman
Huskies: #21 Maja Besic