The St. Thomas University women’s basketball team travelled to Montreal on Sept. 17 to compete against three teams from the Quebec league. It would turn out to be a tough road trip for the Tommies.
The Tommies kicked off their pre-season with a game against the Dawson College Blues on Friday night. Turnovers by STU gave Dawson an advantage. The score at half time had Dawson leading 43-27. After two more tough quarters, the Tommies couldn’t close the gap. The final score was 81-52 for Dawson. Top scorers for STU were Jillian Lamoreau with 11, Olivia Dobbylstien with 10, and Kathleen McCann with 9.
On Saturday, the Tommies competed against the Montmorency Nomades from Laval. The Nomades played tough on the ball defence which caused problems for the Tommies. In the end, STU fell short to Montmorency; losing 80-46. Top scorers for the Tommies were Jillian Lamoreau with 11 and Renee Leblanc with 9.
In the last game of the weekend, the Tommies played against the Vanier Cheetahs. The Tommies came out strong on both offence and defence. At half time, STU trailed by only six points and were in a good position going into the second half. Unfortunately, the exertion from the weekend caught up with the team, resulting in a loss. The final score was 78-49 for Vanier. Top scorers for STU were Jillian Lamoreau with 12, Madyson Williams with 10, and Ashley Bawn with 9.
Despite the three losses, Head Coach Fred Connors sees the benefit of tough pre-season competition.
“Anytime we play tough competition it makes us raise the level of our game and get a better understanding of the way we need to play in order to succeed.”
