(HALIFAX, N.S.) Atlantic University Sport men's basketball has a new record holder. UNB's Javon Masters (Kitchener, Ont.) became the AUS all-time career points leader this past weekend—breaking the existing record of 2,069 career points set in 1996 by former UPEI Panthers standout Curtis Robinson.
The Varsity Reds were hosted by the Saint Mary's Huskies in two weekend games Friday and Saturday evening in Halifax, N.S.
Heading into Friday night's matchup, Masters was 34 points away from tying Robinson's record and 35 points away from breaking it. With less than two minutes remaining in the game, the fifth-year guard made a layup to tie the record.
He followed that up by making a three-point shot with 1:10 remaining, to set a new AUS record and help secure the comeback win for the Varsity Reds.
Saint Mary's led for much of the first three quarters, with UNB trailing 26-17 at the end of the first quarter, 47-30 at halftime, and 59-56 at the end of three. They mounted a comeback in the second half of the game, outscoring the Huskies 26-12 in the third frame and 27-13 in the fourth, to claim a 83-72 win.
Masters led all scorers with 37 points, adding six rebounds, six assists and four steals in the victory.
Saturday night's matchup saw more of the same back-and-forth play, with Saint Mary's outscoring UNB 30-14 in the opening frame, and UNB bouncing back to outscore the Huskies 26-13 in the second quarter.
The home team pulled ahead 72-59 to finish the third quarter. But the Varsity Reds would tie things up 86-86 in the final frame to force overtime. UNB would earn a dramatic 93-92 win in overtime.
Masters led all scorers once again, accumulating 35 points in the win, to go along with 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
He now boasts 2,107 career points and counting with 14 games left to play in the regular season.
Masters was the national scoring champion in his first three seasons, boasting 27.4 points per game in 2013-14, 25.1 in 2014-15 and 28.0 in 2015-16.
He earned the Dr. Peter Mullins Trophy as the CIS (now U SPORTS) rookie of the year in 2014. That same year, he earned a place on the national all-rookie team and was named a second team all-Canadian.
He was named the conference MVP and a first team all-Canadian in 2015 and 2016. He earned AUS first team all-star and second team all-Canadian nods again last season.
Masters began making a name for himself in the AUS record books in just his third season, setting a new record for career free throws made. That record currently sits at 690 and counting.
He set the AUS all-time record for free throws made in one season in his rookie year, with 215. He also boasts second and third place in the same category, with 165 free throws made in 2015-16 and 161 in 2014-15.
He sits second and third in the record book for most points in one season, earning 560 in 2015-16 and 547 in 2013-14. And he is tied for second in free throws made in a single game, making good on 20 of 26 in a 2013 game versus UPEI.