Blue Devils Fall to Tommies 56-54

It came down to the final possession, but the Tommies came away with a 56-54 victory on Saturday afternoon against the University of King's College.

In a game that saw the Tommies shoot 27.5% from the field and just 5.9% from beyond the 3-point line, it was their defensive pressure that led to the victory. The Tommies caused the Blue Devils to turn the ball over 23 times in the game, creating fast break opportunities.

UKC was kept to just 8 points in the opening quarter, but the Tommies could only manage a 5-point lead. A lead the Tommies would hold onto until halftime.

The third quarter had the Blue Devils come out strong, taking the lead early on, but the battle was just beginning.

With the Tommies clinging to a 3 point lead with less than 2 minutes to go in the game, Jenna Bain drove to the basket for a layup only to be tied up by Alana Dowling (Quispamsis, NB) who came away with the steal.

In the dying seconds the Blue Devils had the ball with a chance to win the game, but the shot bounced off the rim and stayed out to preserve the win for the Tommies.

"I had a great angle, I could see that it was left," said head coach Fred Connors jokingly about the final shot. "To be honest, I was more upset that she was that open."

It was a true team effort for the Tommies when it came to scoring, as 8 players registered at least 4 points in the game, with Madison Owens (Fredericton, NB) and Dowling leading the way with 10 points each.

"Bridget (Frazee), Lainy (Dow) and Alana have all been solid for us, but we aren't built around one or two people," said Connors about the team scoring. "They're defense is very good, so you have to give King's a lot of credit for taking us out of our rhythm."

Both teams are back at it on Sunday, November 25^th when the Tommies host the Crandall Chargers and the Blue Devils visit UNBSJ to take on the Seawolves.