Stammberger and Thompson lead Tigers past Axewomen in season finale

The Dalhousie Tigers ended their season on a high note as they defeated the Acadia Axewomen 62-46 at home on Saturday night to finish out their season. The win brings the Tigers back to .500 as they end the season with a 10-10 record heading into the playoffs, while the Axewomen finish with a 5-15 record and will miss the playoffs first time since 2007.

Tessa Stammberger had another monster game, posting a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Tigers, while sharpshooting guard Courtney Thompson added 17 points.

The game was scoreless for the first two minutes as both teams struggled to get going offensively until Alexandra Berry opened the scoring for Acadia with a layup. Courtney Thompson scored five straight points at the end of the quarter to give the Tigers a 12-8 advantage after ten minutes of play.

Both teams picked it up on the offensive end in the second quarter, but the Tigers maintained their lead and led 34-26 in a tightly contested affair. Coming out of halftime, Acadia buckled down defensively and limited the Tigers to just nine points in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to just three points going into the final frame.

Tessa Stammberger opened the fourth quarter with a three to spur on a 9-2 Tigers run, opening the lead up to 52-42. The Tigers wouldn't look back as they held onto their lead as they went on to win 62-46.

Abby Duinker had 17 points and seven rebounds for the Axewomen in the loss, while Alexandra Berry narrowly missed out on a double-double after dropping 11 points and eight rebounds.

The Tigers finish the season in fifth place in the AUS and they will face the fourth-seeded Memorial Sea-Hawks in the first quarter-final of the 2014 Subway Women's Basketball Championship at UPEI on March 7.