Mitchell’s 33 points lead Huskies to 98-76 win over REDS

HALIFAX, NS - A dominant full-court effort by the Saint Mary's Huskies, led by 33 points from guard Dontae Mitchell (Vaughan, ON), led to a 98-76 win over the visiting UNB REDS on Friday night at the Homburg Centre in Halifax.

"We wanted to bounce back to our last loss to Dalhousie," said Mitchell post-game. "It's a long season and there's going to be ups and downs, so we're just trying to get better every game."

In the first matchup of a back-to-back against the REDS, the Huskies got off to a hot start, as forward Jackson Enyinna (Port Harcourt, Nigeria) and Mitchell worked inside for three easy layups to give the Huskies an early 6-0 lead. A two-handed dunk from Mitchell, followed by a three-pointer by first year forward Ethan Vey (Conception Bay, NL) put the Huskies up 23-9. The REDS were able to cut into the lead with two straight baskets, before guard Shae Linton-Brown (Toronto, ON) hit a buzzer-beating three to put the Huskies up 26-13 after the first quarter.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

Downtown Shae Linton-Brown cashes the triple to beat the first quarter buzzer and the Huskies take a 26-13 lead into the second quarter. pic.twitter.com/uKVISNWkdW

— SMU Huskies (@SMUHuskies) November 12, 2022

Mitchell scored 11 points in the first quarter, while Enyinna controlled the boards on his way to six points and six rebounds, as the Huskies outrebounded the REDS 13-5 through the first 10 minutes.

The Huskies strong play continued in the second quarter, with an early three by Vey extending the lead to 16. That's when REDS guard Marcus Barnes (Kitchener, ON) got his offence going, scoring 11 straight REDS points including a trio of triples, before a Mark Tobin (Mount Pearl, NL) layup cut the Huskies lead to 35-28. The Huskies responded with five straight points from guard Jayrell Diggs (East Preston, NS), before Mitchell hit a three with 30 seconds remaining to give him 20 first half points, and the Huskies led 55-35 at the half.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS �� @DontaeMitchell continues his strong play, capping off a 20 point first half with a three ball to put the Huskies up big. @SMUMensBBall leads 55-35 at the half. pic.twitter.com/lEaoMQjaZV

— SMU Huskies (@SMUHuskies) November 12, 2022

The second half was more evenly matched, with the Huskies outscoring the REDS 22-21 in the third quarter, and 21-20 in the fourth quarter, but Mitchell's outstanding play continued along with some added scoring from the Huskies bench, who combined for 26 points on the night, led by Vey's career high 14 points including 4/7 from beyond the arc.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

First year Ethan Vey hits his third three of the night. @SMUMensBBall leads 77-56 heading into the fourth quarter. pic.twitter.com/b6G5wVRHek

— SMU Huskies (@SMUHuskies) November 12, 2022

The Huskies saw nine different players score on their way to a 98-76 victory.

Dontae Mitchell was named Subway Player of the Game with 33 points on 14/17 from the field and 3/6 from beyond the arc, and added two rebounds, two assists and one steal.

Huskies forward Jackson Enyinna was dominant inside with a 14 point, 13 rebound double-double, while guard Shae Linton-Brown flirted with a triple double with 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Five Huskies scored in double figures, with Ethan Vey adding a career high 14 points, and Jayrell Diggs added 11 and six rebounds.

"Whenever (my teammates) step up, it's going to make my job easier," said Mitchell post-game. "I think part of me getting 33 tonight was that they were hitting shots. So as much as they can contribute, we like that, and they are very capable of doing so."

@SUBWAYCanada Player of the Game Dontae Mitchell speaks post-game about the win and his 33 point performance pic.twitter.com/nHc5KAND0S

— SMU Huskies (@SMUHuskies) November 12, 2022

"We came out with good energy," said Huskies head coach Jonah Taussig post-game. "They have shooters everywhere and we wanted to limit their three-point attempts. They were 11/36 tonight, so we're pretty happy with that. And of course, Dontae had a great game for us as well."

The REDS were led by Barnes with 21 points and three rebounds off the bench, followed by forward Malik Grant (Brampton, ON) who recorded 15 points and five rebounds. The Huskies defence held REDS leading scorer and last season's AUS Rookie of the Year Norm Burry (Grafton, NB) to seven points on 2/7 shooting.

The win improved the Huskies record to 3-2 on the season, while the REDS dropped to 1-4. The two teams will face-off again tomorrow, with the rematch tipping off at 8 p.m. at the Homburg Centre. GET TICKETS

Recap by Lauren Phillips / SMU Huskies Athletics
Photos by Mona Ghiz / SMU Huskies Athletics