By Corey LeBlanc
SYDNEY: The Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers women’s and men’s basketball teams scored home-opening victories over the Saint Mary’s Huskies in Atlantic University Sport (AUS) action on Nov. 3 at Sullivan Fieldhouse.
Led by a monster performance from junior forward Kiyara Letlow – who finished with 31 points and 21 rebounds – the Capers defeated the defending conference champion Huskies 84-67.
The dynamic forward played all 40 minutes of the contest.
Trailing by four points after the first quarter – 26-22 – Letlow made an athletic reverse lay-up to give CBU a 29-28 edge early in the second stanza.
Keyed by a pair of late three-pointers from junior guard Hannah Smith, including one in the final seconds before halftime, the Capers took a 43-36 advantage to the locker room.
Early in the second half, the visitors knotted the game – at 51-51 – but CBU finished the third on a 10-1 surge, to go ahead 61-52 heading into the fourth quarter.
With the first six points of the final frame, the Capers capped a 16-1 run – one that spanned the third and fourth quarters – to take a 67-52 lead, and never looked back.
Along with Letlow’s double-double, Hailey MacLeod added 13 points, four rebounds, two steals and one assist, while Amanda Cruickshank added 10 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a steal. Darah Fleurgin, off the bench, chipped in 12 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
PRYCE IS RIGHT
In his debut in front of Caper faithful, fourth-year guard Shakael Pryce – who finished with a game-high 29 points, while adding six rebounds, six steals, five assists and one blocked shot – led the home team to an 88-78 win over the Huskies.
In a back-and-forth first quarter, homegrown forward Mitchell Mersereau – a native of Sydney – gave the Capers a 24-23 edge with a buzzer-beating basket.
After a low-scoring start to the second quarter, the teams were deadlocked 40-40.
Keyed by a three-pointer from newcomer Stefan Anisko, along with hoops from Pryce and junior forward Tyson Cato, the Capers finished on a 9-0 spurt to take a 49-40 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Huskies sliced the lead to six – at 60-54 – before Pryce scored the final five points of the stanza to make it 69-58 for the Capers.
The Huskies mounted a late rally, but they could only get as close as five points in the fourth quarter.
Along with Pryce, four other CBU players hit double digits in scoring, including Anisko (off the bench), with 16, Cato (15), Peuser (12) and Mersereau (11). Cato fashioned a double-double with 14 rebounds.
SPLIT AND SWEEP
On the following night (Nov. 4), the Huskies gained the weekend split – in the women’s match-up – with an 80-52 victory over the Capers.
The Huskies scored the first six points, and never trailed in the contest.
CBU, who shot 30.6 per cent from the field in the first half, trailed 48-32 heading to the locker room.
In a lopsided second half, the Saint Mary’s lead ballooned to as many as 30 points.
Letlow, with her fourth double-double in as many regular season games, finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds, while Chermensa van la Parra scored a team-high 16 points for the Capers.
After the weekend action, the Caper men – at 3-1 – are tied for first place with their rivals and defending conference champion StFX X-Men, while the CBU women, also at 3-1, are in second place behind the UNB Reds (4-0).
BACK IN ACTION
The Capers will return to the court on Friday, Nov. 10, when they travel to the Annapolis Valley to face the Acadia Axewomen and Axemen, in 6 and 8 p.m. starts, respectively.
CBU returns to their home floor on Saturday, Nov. 18, when they host the UNB Reds at 1 and 3 p.m.