(WOLFVILLE, N.S.) - The CIS No. 2-ranked Acadia Axemen basketball team will head into the Holiday break undefeated and tied for first place in the AUS with Cape Breton following an 84-71 come-from-behind win over the StFX X-Men in AUS men's basketball action Wednesday night in Wolfville.
With the win, the Axemen hand StFX their third loss of the regular season, while Acadia improves to a perfect 6-0.
With injuries to Anthony Sears, Tom Filgiano, Sean Stoqua and Rhys Larry, the Axemen's bench helped pick up the slack and Acadia's Owen Klassen grabbed the Subway Player of the Game honours with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Local product Jeremy Dunn and Rodrigo Madera scored a team-high 15 points each for the X-Men.
StFX came out strong and played an energetic and fast-paced first quarter, using full court presses that pushed them to an early first quarter lead at 20-11 after just four minutes of play.
Acadia fought back to end the opening frame down 26-21 but eventually grabbed a one point lead with just over two minutes remaining in the first half following a Jonathan Tull basket that gave Acadia a 42-41 edge. The hosts eventually closed out the first half with a 44-42 advantage.
Acadia held onto the lead for the remainder of the game, pushing out to a game-high 18 point cushion with just over a minute remaining in the final frame.
Head Coach Stephen Baur was happier with the second half of play by his Axemen.
"The second half our guys did a good job with shot selection, both in location and personnel. We had the people we wanted in spots we wanted," said Baur. "This was a great win for us, and we showed good composure off a bad start. The first ten minutes we were late to help, fouled, and had them shooting free throws. As we cut off penetration, we were able to challenge their shots".
Thomas Filgiano started the game but left with a leg injury and rookie AJ Simmonds played composed under his replacement duties. Tyler Scott added 10 points, while teammates Jonathan Tull and Anthony Ashe netted 23 and 19 points respectively.
StFX's Tyrell Vernon and Terry Thomas added 11 and nine points respectively for the losing cause. The X-Men were just 15% from the charity stripe and only 35% from the floor.
Baur was positive about the Axemen's undefeated record thus far. "Going forward we want to have better starts and reduce our fouls, but overall it was a positive first semester".
Both StFX and Acadia wrapped up the first half of the regular season and will both be back on court in AUS action on January 5th as Acadia hosts the UPEI Panthers and StFX travels to Dalhousie.
Source: Acadia Sports Information