By Natasha White, Staff Contributor
A decent student turn-out witnessed hardwood action last Wednesday night as the Tigers took on the Acadia Axewomen and Axemen. Victories for both the men’s and ladies teams helped solidify Dalhousie’s standings as the season enters its final few weeks. It’s been a stellar second half of the season for Dal; since the 2010 January start, both basketball teams have gone an impressive seven for nine (as of Feb. 6). The Dal Men’s only losses came at the hands of the St. Francis Xavier and Cape Breton University teams who currently lead the AUS, ranking third and fourth respectively in national standings. But the real heartbreaker stat belongs to the ladies, whose two losses of 2010 were by a mere two points at the hands of the undefeated CBU Capers and third-place Memorial Sea Hawks.
The second-last home game of the season saw Tiger guard Simon Farine deliver a beautiful performance. Just two assists shy of a double-double, Farine put up a season best 32 points. If not for some heavily contested lay-up misses, Farine could have topped 40. 6’8 forward Sandy Veit pulled a Rodman (okay, slight exaggeration), dominating both offensive and defensive boards against the Axemen. It’s great to see Veit’s aggressive rebounding excel each game. The clock’s a ticking, and it’s time for every Tiger to amp up.
Coach Campbell and his staff must have been pleased with Dal’s lights out free throw show, hitting 22 of 25 attempts. Threes also played a big part in the win as Dal went seven for 22. But, it was thanks to a stifling defence of the arch by guards Sullivan and Farine that made the difference. The Axemen, blessed with two pure shooters in Anthony Sears and Casey Fox, were denied any opportunity to shine by the Tiger pair. The Tigers need to bring this defensive intensity to the floor for 40 minutes every game as they battle for the next three weeks before the big show in Sydney, March 12 to March 14.
Andrew Sullivan had an incredible game Sunday, Jan. 31, against UNB. Sullivan took over in the second half with threes, free throws, and sweet inside feeds to big man Joe Schow, who came up with a game high of 20 points. The Tigers went on to defeat last place UNB 69-55.
Where were the ladies, you ask? The Dal ladies edged the Axewomen 72-64 with the help of a much-improved full court press break. Granted, the Axewomen’s press efforts lack the strength of the upper echelon teams. Nonetheless it provided good practice for Coach Stammberger’s crew. Turnovers were reduced as we saw more passing, less dribbling and thinking, taking the ball up the court. However, the press will remain a sore spot for Dal until they start to move to the ball versus waiting for the pass to come. It will be too easy for the top-ranked teams to simply wait for the telegraphed pass to the immobile middle, forcing the turnover.
I’ll end with one final plea – nay, let’s call it a dare. I triple dog dare you to show up for the last home games of the hardcourt season. Dal takes on our bitter rivals (dramatic writer’s license) St. Mary’s University on Saturday, Feb. 13. Tip off is at 5 p.m.
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