Both Memorial University varsity basketball teams came away with wins Sunday over the Cape Breton Capers to salvage a weekend split of games in Atlantic University Sport play on their home court.
At the Field House, the Sea-Hawks’ women’s squad won 74-58 Sunday, keeping them atop the conference standings.
The Lady Birds, who lost 68-65 Saturday evening, improved to 10-4, joining 11-3 Acadia Axewomen in first place with 28 points apiece. UPEI (11-2) is close behind with 26 points.
The men won by 13 Sunday (82-69) to remain in the playoff hunt in a very tight AUS. Memorial lost 64-58 Saturday.
Dalhousie leads the conference at 13-1 for 36 points followed by the University of New Brunswick at 9-5 (22 points) and St. Francis Xavier at 7-6 (20 points). The next four spots in the men’s standings (the top six teams move on to the post-season) belong to Cape Breton (6-7, 16 points), Memorial (6-8, 14 pts.), Acadia (5-9, 12 pts.) and Saint Mary’s (5-8, 10 pts.).
Sunday, the Sea-Hawks’ Haille Nickerson took over AUS women’s scoring, dropping 32 points. The fifth-year guard from Ontario is now averaging 25.3 points per game. Second-year guard Alana Short backed up Nickerson with 12 points to climb into eighth place in AUS scoring with 14.1 PPG.
The Lady Birds lost the series-opener Saturday night 68-65. Memorial led 36-29 at halftime.
Nickerson scored 17 points, Short netted 14 and Jane Baird chipped in with 12.
Next weekend, the Sea-Hawks travel to Halifax for two games against the Saint Mary’s Huskies.
Sunday, Memorial’s men’s team outscored the Capers 25-19 in the fourth quarter to help pull out the 82-69 win.
The Sea-Hawks were bolstered by the return of Jason Thompson from injury. Thompson, who was hurt in a Halifax tournament during the Christmas/exam break, scored 16 points in his first game back. Cole Long led Memorial with 26, and Boris Ristanovic sank 13.
All-star Nathan Barker still remains unavailable to Memorial after suffering an injury in that same Halifax tournament.
On Saturday, Deng Ring led the Sea-Hawks with 16 points . Long and Daniel Foo, off the bench, both scored 11.
The men also play at Saint Mary’s in a pair of games next weekend.
