WOLFVILLE, NS – In their final home game of the season, the Acadia Axemen were defeated by the AUS first-place STFX X-Men 95–74. David Muenkat (Brampton, Ont.) led the way for the X-Men, earning the title of Subway Player of the Game.
Acadia's Alex Muise (Halifax, N.S.) earned the title of player of the game for Acadia and was honoured before tonight's game as the Axemen's lone graduating senior. Muise had an impressive performance in his final home game, putting up 18 points with three rebounds and four made threes.
David Muenkat was an offensive stand-out for the X-Men, scoring 13 points in the first quarter. This performance helped his team to seize control of the game after a back-and-forth opening quarter. Muenkat would finish the game with 20 points on 64% shooting in just 16 minutes of action.
From there on out, the X-Men would control the game, with all four of the game's ties occurring in the first quarter.
Avan Nava (Mississauga, Ont.) provided high-quality shooting and playmaking for StFX, while Gatluak James (Windsor, Ont.) gave excellent minutes off the bench. James matched Muenkat's game-high 20 points and secured four rebounds along with a fierce two-handed block.
The Acadia bench continued to be a bright spot for the team. Finn Larkin (Halifax, N.S.) scored 10 efficient points off the bench and Erik Hayden (Truro, N.S.) gave great defensive minutes. Hayden secured two steals in the fourth quarter and was able to bother the X-Men's ball handlers with his wingspan and active hands.
The Acadia bench unit outscored the X-Men 17 – 8 to end the game.
Acadia's loss tonight drops the Axemen to a 3 – 15 record this season, while the X-Men improve to 15 – 3. The Axemen will get another chance against the X-Men when they travel to StFX to face them this Tuesday at 8:00 PM and then conclude the regular season at UNB on Saturday.
StFX will host Acadia and Saint Mary's before their run to the AUS Championship weekend Feb. 24-26 at Halifax's Scotiabank Centre.
RECAP BY: Ryan Wallace, Acadia Athletics