WOLFVILLE, NS – The Acadia Axemen posted a 106–91 victory over the visiting Memorial Sea-Hawks on a rare Monday night game.
Subway Player of the Game Miguel Perez Boskovic (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, ESP) led the Axemen in scoring, adding a team-high 27 points while shooting a perfect 3 – 3 from behind the arc.
"We did a great job defensively and offensively, but we got another game tomorrow. This means nothing. We gotta win again tomorrow. We have to go back tomorrow with the same energy," said Boskovic at the end of the game.
The Sea-Hawks showed off a variety of defensive schemes in this game. In the first half, they alternated between a 2 – 3 zone and a 3 – 2 zone, forcing the Acadia offense to constantly adjust.
The Axemen took advantage of the 3 – 2 zone, with most of their made threes coming from the corners in the first half. However, the Acadia struggled against the 2 – 3 zone defense, and their empty possessions led to transition scoring opportunities for Memorial.
Memorial focused on this advantage in the second quarter and was able to take a 1-point lead into half-time after losing the first quarter to the Axemen.
Memorial was fueled by Nicholas Tuff (St. John's Nfld.). Who scored 21 of his game-high 34 points in the first half. Tuff's size and shooting ability were on display as he converted on 83% of his shots and 66% of his three-pointers.
Acadia entered the second half with a firm response to Memorial's defense. The Axemen worked the ball into the high post and were able to capitalize on well-timed cuts to the basket.
This allowed Acadia to secure the lead in the third quarter and retain it for the rest of the match despite an enormous effort by Memorials Emanuel Ring (St John's, Nfld.). Ring put up 19 of his 22 points in the second half after a quiet first half.
Gabe Davignon (Whites Lakes, N.S.) was instrumental in the Axemen's second-half surge. Davignon's shooting helped break apart the zone defense and was a huge boost off the bench for Acadia, scoring 20 points off the bench.
Alex Muise (Halifax, N.Ss) also put on a show for Acadia, scoring 25 points to go along with 10 rebounds and 9 assists in a near triple-double performance.
The Axemen will stay home for a rematch against the Memorial Sea-Hawks tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. The win improves Acadia to 3–13 on the season, while the Sea-Hawks fall to 6–9.
RECAP BY: Ryan Wallace, Acadia Athletics