Women’s Basketball
A pair of signature wins for the UKC women, who have slingshot themselves up the league standings into fifth place. Beginning in Moncton, the Blue Devils squared off against the Chargers of Crandall University in the pair’s first meeting of the regular season. King’s maintained a marginal lead through the first half, entering the break ahead 32-26. The Blue Devils’ offence erupted in the third quarter outscoring the hosts 27-7 and putting the game beyond the reach of the Chargers. Olivia Moreau led all scorers with 17 points while Jenna Bain posted her second double-double of the season tallying 14 points and 10 rebounds.
A quick turnaround brought the Blue Devils back to Halifax to host the UNBSJ Seawolves in the second game of the weekend. King’s cruised to an equally-sound 72-59 victory over the visiting Seawolves, with Bain registering a third double-double, collecting 10 rebounds and scoring 19 points. She was joined in double-figure scoring by senior Nalini Maharaj with 12 and rookie Vayda Wells-McCaughen with 11 – a Blue Devils career high for her.
Now 3-1 overall (including exhibition) since returning from the winter holiday, the UKC women are hitting peak form at the perfect time. With seeding in the postseason essentially secured, the Blue Devils will look to continue building momentum ahead of the ACAA Tournament in March. The UKC women pay an overdue visit to Mount Allison (a series that was delayed while the Mounties finished facility renovations), on a Friday-Saturday trip to New Brunswick, before returning to Crandall for a replay with the Chargers. Both games will be streamed on ACAA.TV.
Results:
@Crandall, 60-45 Win
vs. UNBSJ, 72-59 Win
Next Games:
@MTA, January 27th 6pm
@Crandall, January 28th 1pm
Men’s Basketball
A split weekend for the UKC Men, who endured a narrow loss on the road before hammering home a win in Halifax to go .500 in the gameweek. Playing their Saturday fixture at Crandall University in Moncton, the Blue Devils took an early lead, enjoying a 41-33 margin at halftime and brewing up a potential road upset. A strong second half by the Chargers proved decisive, with the hosts outscoring the Kingsmen 45-27 in the games back half, securing a 78-68 win. Xavier Buckley scored 13 in his first game back from suspension, joined by Sandrais Clayton (13) and Brendan Morris (18) to lead King’s in scoring. Crandall’s Devon Glenn scored a game high 22 to lead all scorers.
The UKC Men were not afforded long to lick their wounds, with a playoff-deciding home game set for Sunday afternoon against UNBSJ. Having won the first meeting, King’s needed to secure the series win to lock in a playoff berth for the post season. The Blue Devils took an early lead and never looked back. Outscoring their visitors in the first and second quarters, the Kingsmen took a 9 point lead into the locker room. A wavering third quarter saw the Seawolves whittle the UKC lead down to as few four, before the Blue Devils came roaring back in the fourth to post a 88-76 final. UNBSJ’s Ethan Szemerda and Adam Lambert topped the scoresheet with 20 and 23 points respectively. Three Kingsmen notched double figures Brendan Morris (10), Sandrais Clayton (16), and Caleb Rennie (15), while Xavier Buckley provided a spark off the bench with 9.
A pair of New Brunswick games in the coming gameweek provide opportunities for the Blue Devils to climb further in the league standings. A Friday night game in Sackville against MTA and a second visit to Crandall on Saturday represent winnable fixtures for Luc Stevenson’s squad and, in the case of Crandall, an opportunity to square the series 1-1. Those games will be streamed on ACAA.TV.
Results:
@Crandall, 68-78 Loss
vs. UNBSJ 88-67 Win
Next Games:
@MTA January 28th 8pm
@Crandall January 29th 3pm
