A number of players from the Maritime Women’s Basketball Association are playing university basketball across the country and into the United States.
As the holiday season kicks into gear, we’ll profile our MWBAers playing for school colours in 2024-25.
We will start close to home with the Atlantic University Sport conference where a number of players with MWBA affiliations are preparing for the second half of the season.
Following the first semester, the Saint Mary’s University Huskies of Halifax lead the derby with a perfect 9-0 mark.
The Huskies have Aliyah Fraser and Katelyn Power of the Halifax Hornets playing big roles for the Huskies. Fraser has started all nine games and averages 9.9 points per game in just under 22 minutes of action a game. Power has identical points and rebounds numbers, averaging 4.8 on both fronts.
Cape Breton University Capers of Sydney are second with a 7-2 mark.
Kristen Taylor of Saint John’s Port City Fog was playing over 25 minutes and a game and averaging 8.0 points for the Capers. She was injured late in the first half of the season. The MWBA wishes Taylor a quick recovery.
University of Prince Edward Island Panthers have plenty of MWBA talent including reigning league MVP Lauren Rainford of the Miramichi Hericanes. Rainford plays just over 30 minutes a game for the green and white, averaging 18.2 points per outing. Miramichi teammate Devon Lawlor brings in 8.6 points a game and Abby Miller of the ‘Canes has 5.7 points a game, 6.9 boards and a shade under 21 minutes of floor time.
Grace Lancaster of the Halifax Thunder is with the Panthers and has started all nine games. She scores 13.0 points a game and logs almost 30 minutes an outing.
Acadia University Axewomen of Wolfville are at 4-5 in AUS standings.
Thunder’s Sami Russell has started seven of eight Acadia tilts, averaging 16.4 points a game and a touch under 32 minutes.
St. Francis Xavier University X-Women are 4-5 and feature a pair of MWBAers from the Lake City 56ers of Dartmouth/Cole Harbour.
Abby Mercer averages 1.8 points in just under 11 minutes of action per game and Abby Cameron logs 9.2 minutes per game and 1.4 points an outing.
University of New Brunswick Reds sit 3-6 with a number of Fredericton Freeze players on the roster.
Katie Butts averages 21.4 points per game for UNB and logs 33.6 minutes a game. Ann Bastien is averaging 6.9 points per outing and Maheva Ngassam has started all nine games and brings 4.6 points to the table. Leah Travers scored at 4.8 points a game while Kylee Speedy continues to recover from injury.
McKinley Bezanson of UNB is with Port City. She averages 4.6 points a game and plays a rad under 22 minutes. Lillian Fuller of Lake City is with UNB and is at a 7.2 points per game clip, working almost 23 minutes a game.
Dalhousie University Tigers of Halifax are 2-7.
Sydney Guker-Wickie of Thunder plays almost 31 minutes a game and averages 9.1 points per outing. Eva Widmeyer of the Hornets checks in with 4.6 points and 12.3 floor time.
Memorial University SeaHawks are last in the AUS at 1-9.
We will profile other leagues as we approach Christmas.
– Sydney Guker-Wickie of the Halifax Hornets is with Dalhousie (DWinston Photo)