The Tommies lost a heartbreaking semi-final game against the Mount Allison Mounties on Saturday afternoon.
The St. Thomas women’s basketball team came into Saturday well-rested but not on point, as they got the by to the semi-finals due to their top ranking.
Mount Allison was the exact opposite. They were ready to go right from the tip-off, as they had played Friday and beat the Crandall Chargers. Rookie Sarah McGeachy was the hottest shooter for Mount Allison. She scored 21 points off of four-three pointers.
“We ran into a team that couldn’t miss in the first half,” said Tommies head coach Fred Connors about the Mounties, who shot 61 percent in that first half.
“Our defense wasn’t really sharp to start the game and I think that let them build their confidence.”
STU fell behind in the first quarter, but only trailed by five after ten minutes of play. It was the second quarter that hurt them. The Mounties outscored STU 28-15 in the quarter, putting them up 45-27.
The Tommies trailed by as much as 20 before they made their run. Hilary Goodine, who struggled early on with her shot, turned things around in the fourth quarter. She led all scorers with 22 points.
With just under six minutes left, the Tommies were down 16. That’s when their run began. The run ended when Maggie Murphy knocked down a three for STU that cut the Mounties lead to two. Goodine had a chance to tie it up, but missed, which forced STU to foul. Mount Allison got it to a four-point lead, and though Maggie Murphy hit a buzzer beater three, STU was a point short of completing the comeback.
“That’s a tough loss. We were so close,” said the forth-year Goodine.
The game was the last for fourth-year players Laura Anderson, Kelly Vass and Hillary Goodine.
“It’s my last season so it’s just really emotional to end my career that way,” said Goodine.
