Sea-Hawks earn weekend split with win over Panthers
The Memorial Sea-Hawks split the weekend with the UPEI Panthers as they went on to win the second game of the weekend 86-74.
ST. JOHN'S, NL—The Memorial Sea-Hawks split the weekend with the UPEI Panthers as they went on to win the second game of the weekend 86-74.
Two threes from Memorial opened the scoring in the first quarter, from Ines Salat-Margarit and Rebecca Ekstrom. A layup from Alicia Bowering put the Panthers on the board, and the teams continued to exchange baskets throughout the quarter, with the Sea-Hawks able to keep a lead until the final minute of play, when two good free throws from Aiden Rainford tied the score up at 17 for the Panthers to end the first quarter 17-17.
The second quarter opened with a 4-0 run from the Panthers, until a 3-point play from Alyssa Jenkins for Memorial brought the score back to within 1. A 3-point jump shot from Samantha Zoffranieri extended the lead again for UPEI midway through the quarter, but the Sea-Hawks had a reply with a layup from Hannah Green. Nearing the end of the quarter, the Panthers were able to pull ahead by 8 points thanks to a 3-pointer from Alicia Bowering. Back-and-forth play continued for the remainder of the quarter, until a late push by the Sea-Hawks brought them within 3 points of the lead to end the quarter 41-38.
Lauren Rainford led all scorers at the half with 16 points for the Panthers. Samantha Zoffranieri put up 10, while both Alicia Bowering and Aiden Rainford scored 5 points apiece.
On the Sea-Hawks side, Alyssa Jenkins led the team at the half with 13 points. Rebecca Ekstrom got 6 points, and both Ines Salat-Margarit and Gabrielle Roche put up 5 points for the team.
The Panthers opened the scoring in the third quarter, but the Sea-Hawks were able to push back with a 7-0 run, highlighted by a layup and two free throws from Ines Salat-Margarit, to take over the lead. Another three from Alicia Bowering took back the lead for the Panthers, and the lead was traded back and forth, until a three from Hannah Green put the Sea-Hawks ahead by 6. A buzzer-beater deep three from Karla Yepez brought the Panthers within 5, but the Sea-Hawks still held a 58-53 lead heading into the final frame.
The final quarter opened with an exchange of baskets between both teams, with Memorial able to keep the edge over the Panthers and take a 9-point lead nearing the end of the game with a jump shot from Hannah Green. The Panthers were not able to generate any momentum, and Memorial went on to take the game 86-74.
The Subway Player of the game for the Sea-Hawks was Hannah Green, who put up a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds, and shot at 66.7% from the three-point line. Alyssa Jenkins had a solid game with 19 points, while Ines Salat-Margarit also had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, as well as 9 assists. Teammate Rebecca Ekstrom got 16 points in the game, while veteran Gabrielle Roche also had a good performance with 8 points and 12 rebounds.
On the Panthers side, Lauren Rainford scored a game-high 30 points. Samantha Zoffranieri got 12 points, while both Alicia Bowering and Aiden Rainford put up 11 for the team.
This concludes the regular season for both the Sea-Hawks and the Panthers. Playoffs will begin next Friday at the Scotiabank Center in Halifax.
RECAP BY: Olivia Ryan, Memorial Sports Information / PHOTOS BY: Udantha Chandre
