Diggs, Mitchell each pour in 23 points in 98-81 win over Sea-Hawks

Saint Mary's guards Jayrell Diggs and Dontae Mitchell each scored 23 points as the Huskies defeated the Sea-Hawks 98-81 on Monday night at the Homburg Centre in Halifax.

The Sea-Hawks got off to an early lead with a dunk from forward Boris Ristanovic (Kragujevac, Serbia) putting them up 10-7 midway through the first quarter. Sea-Hawks guard Emanuel Ring (St. John's, NL) was able to get into the paint at will, scoring 12 first quarter points on 5/6 field goal shooting, but the Huskies took a 25-19 lead into the second quarter, thanks to some great play from guards Jayrell Diggs (East Preston, NS) and Shae Linton-Brown (Toronto, ON), who combined to score 17 of the Huskies 25 first quarter points.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

Shae Linton-Brown with a great full court outlet pass to Jayrell Diggs, followed by the and-one lay-in!

Huskies lead 25-19 after the first quarter. Watch live: https://t.co/xtN8QIe5cO pic.twitter.com/AnTZmH3tHh

— SMU Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 24, 2023

The second quarter saw guard Flynn Boardman-Raffet (London, UK) score seven points for the Sea-Hawks, but Diggs responded with eight of his own, including a pair of three's. The difference-maker in the second quarter was Huskies fifth year captain Dontae Mitchell (Vaughan, ON), returning to the line-up after missing three games with injury, and able to make some acrobatic lay-ups on his way to six second quarter points.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

Dontae Mitchell spins and scores two of his 23 points in his return to the @SMUMensBBall line-up. pic.twitter.com/uFNOhUXjjz

— SMU Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 24, 2023

The Huskies took a 49-37 lead into the half, led by outstanding play by their all-star backcourt – Diggs with 17 points on 6/9 shooting, Linton-Brown with 10 points, four rebounds and two assists, and Mitchell with eight points on 4/6 shooting. The Sea-Hawks were led by 12 points from Ring and nine from Boardman-Raffet.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

Shae gettin' shifty on the killer crossover for two! pic.twitter.com/JyuG3ldKnz

— SMU Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 24, 2023

The Huskies offensive explosion continued in the third quarter, as they were able to pour in 30 points, led by seven each from Mitchell and reserve guard Jonas Maerz (Rosenheim, Germany). Ristanovic chipped in seven third quarter points for the Sea-Hawks, but the Huskies took a commanding 79-59 lead into the final quarter.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

"Nothing over there" says Shae Linton-Brown as he turns the Sea-Hawks defender around and hits a deep three! pic.twitter.com/61QWG9qbXF

— SMU Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 24, 2023

The duel between two of the top scorers in the conference continued in the fourth with Ring (12 fourth quarter points) and Mitchell (eight fourth quarter points) trading buckets. The Huskies led by as many as 23 points in the fourth quarter, but a late three by Ring cut the lead to 96-81, before the Huskies finished the game on the free-throw line to take the 98-81 victory.

Huskies guard Jayrell Diggs was named Subway Player of the Game with 23 points, including five three pointers. Mitchell added 23 on 10/13 shooting, Linton-Brown scored 16 points and added six assists and three steals, and Jonah Crowther (Dartmouth, NS) chipped in 10 for the home-team.

For the Sea-Hawks, Emanuel Ring scored a game-high 29 points, and now leads the AUS with 23.6 points per game. Ristanovic added 19 and Boardman-Raffet scored 16.

The Huskies win improved their record to 7-6 on the season, while the Sea-Hawks loss dropped their record to 4-7.

The two teams will be back in action again Tuesday, tipping off at 5 p.m. at the Homburg Centre.

Recap by Allan April / SMU Huskies Athletics
Photos by Mona Ghiz / SMU Huskies Athletics