Armstrong leads Huskies to 68-63 win over Capers

SYDNEY, N.S. - Saint Mary's guard Lauren Armstrong scored a game-high 23 points, leading the Huskies to a 68-63 win over the Cape Breton Capers in Atlantic University Sport women's basketball action on Friday night in Sydney, N.S.

The Huskies came out of the gates strong, with guards Lauren Armstrong (Canberra, Australia) and Angong Jacob (Calgary, AB) combining for 15 first quarter points as Saint Mary's took a 19-9 lead after the first quarter.

Armstrong's tremendous play continued into the second quarter, hitting a jump shot to give the Huskies a 37-18 lead. The Capers responded with a three-pointer from guard Alicia Bowering (Orangeville, ON) but Saint Mary's guard Molly Healy (St. John's, NL) hit a buzzer beating lay-up, giving the Huskies a 41-23 lead heading into halftime.

Lauren Armstrong led the way with 15 first-half points, while Angong Jacob and Emily Dikdan each added nine. Alicia Bowering led the Capers with 11 first half points.

The Capers attempted to cut into the lead at the beginning of the third quarter, with a lay-up from forward Cameron Clarke and a pair of free-throws from guard Kristen Taylor cutting the Huskies lead to 43-27.

But Saint Mary's first year wing Kalli Georgoulias (Mississauga, ON) went on a personal 9-0 run to end the quarter, with her last second lay-up giving the Huskies their largest lead of the night, 54-34 through three quarters of play.

The two teams exchanged buckets to open the fourth quarter, with back-to-back Cameron Clarke lay-ups cutting the lead to 63-48, but Lauren Armstrong responded with a lay-up of her own putting the Huskies ahead 65-48. The Capers kept coming, with a 10-0 run capped by a Bowering three-pointer, cutting the Huskies lead to 65-58. But Angong Jacob hit a dagger three-pointer with just over a minute remaining to put the Huskies ahead for good, and secure the 68-63 Huskies win.

Lauren Armstrong led the Huskies with 23 points, adding five assists, four rebounds and four steals. Angong Jacob added 19 points, and Kalli Georgoulias poured in 14 points off the Saint Mary's bench.

The Capers were led by guard Alicia Bowering's 20 points, while Amanda Cruickshank chipped in 14 points and five steals.

The Huskies second straight win improves their record to 6-9 on the season, while Cape Breton drops to 2-14. The two teams will meet again for a rematch on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Sydney, N.S.

Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
Photos by Vaughan Merchant / CBU Capers Athletics