(HALIFAX, N.S.) - The StFX X-Men downed the No. 1-seeded Acadia Axemen 93-89 Saturday night at the Halifax Metro Centre in front of 4,884 fans to earn their spot in the Subway AUS men's basketball championship final Sunday at 2 p.m.
The Acadia Axemen jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter with Owen Klassen's strong play down low and Anthony Ashe knocking down a of couple quick threes.
The X-Men were struggling to find open looks on the court and Acadia was giving them nothing on the offensive boards.
At the end of the first quarter Acadia had secured a solid 14-point lead, 28-14.
StFX was able to shake off the dust in the second quarter, keeping even with the Axemen despite their struggles on the offensive glass.
Julius Antoine, Friday night's Subway Player of the Game, continued his strong play in the tournament, scoring all 12 of his points in the second quarter.
At the end of the first half, Acadia led the X-Men by a score of 52-37 and led in total rebounds 20-10 (10-2 offensive).
Klassen and Kyle Arsenault were high scorers at the half for Acadia with 16 apiece, while Antoine's 12 and Will Donkoh's 11 led the way for StFX at the break.
StFX turned their game around in the second half with a much higher level of intensity. Playing a much more physical style of defence, the X-Men forced Acadia into 13 second-half turnovers.
Subway Player of the Game Jameel Williamson and his fellow X-Men found their range from downtown in the third with Williamson burying three of his five attempts in the quarter.
With their hot shooting and a stronger effort boxing out the Axemen bigs, StFX was able to claw their way back from a 15-point halftime deficit and take the lead at the end of the third quarter, 66-65.
Both teams traded buckets at the beginning of the fourth quarter with StFX rookie Kevin Bercy and Acadia veteran Anthony Sears going back and forth.
Donkoh helped StFX to a seven-point lead early in the final frame with a quick run that Klassen put an end to with a two-handed jam plus the foul.
Both teams battled hard in the last five minutes with the score differential never reaching more than five points, but Acadia wouldn't get any closer than within one as StFX won their second straight nail-biter this weekend by a score of 93-89.
Veteran X-Men guard Donkoh posted 31 points on 13-of-17 shooting from the floor, including 3-of-4 on threes. Williamson contributed 19 points, 17 in the second half, and 12 assists in the win.
AUS MVP and defensive player of the year Klassen scored a game-high 36 points, pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds and dished out five assists in the loss.
The fourth-seeded X-Men will now face off against the second-seeded Saint Mary's Huskies on championship Sunday for the AUS banner and a berth in next weekend's CIS Final 8 men's basketball championship being hosted by Carleton University March 7-9 in Ottawa, Ont.
The Huskies earned their spot in the final after topping the UPEI Panthers 94-78 in Saturday night's second semifinal matchup.