(FREDERICTON, N.B.) - The AUS third-ranked UNB Varsity Reds men's basketball team won the second of two games against fourth-ranked Saint Mary's this weekend, topping the Huskies 107-76 as part of Think Pink weekend at the Richard J. Currie Center.
It was a great result for the V-Reds, who lost yesterday's match-up 95-92 in overtime.
UNB head coach Brent Baker said he thought he team didn't enter yesterday's game "ready to grind" against what they knew was going to be a tough opponent. Today, though, it was a different story.
Both teams came out strong in the first half and traded point for point, with neither team racking up too much of a lead. UNB would go into halftime up 43-35.
A bit of dramatic play gave the V-Reds a bit of momentum and delighted the crowd midway through the third quarter. Javon Masters stole the ball and took it to the net for a slam dunk.
Seven seconds later, Ryan Smith stole the ball for the V-Reds again and passed it off to Masters who would hand off to Dylan Baker for the alley oop. The Huskies would call a time out not long after, but UNB would be able to hold onto that momentum and end the third quarter up 74-64.
In the last 10 minutes of play, the V-Reds hit their stride. They would outscore the Huskies 33 to 12 and secure the win.
Leading scoring for the Huskies was Marquis Clayton with 20 points. Leading scoring for the Varsity Reds was Nikola Mandic with 30 points. Mandic, who was named Subway player of the game, also posted 14 rebounds.
Mandic says the V-Reds came into this game with a bit of a different mindset.
"We just made some adjustments on defence," he said. "Just played much tougher. We came off three losses in a row, so it was really important for us to win this one. It was a really important game."
The Varsity Reds play next on Saturday, Jan. 17, when they host Dalhousie at 8 p.m.
The Huskies play next on Tuesday, Jan. 13, when they host Acadia at the same time.
Source: UNB Sports Communications