STFX dominant in semifinal win
HALIFAX, NS (March 1, 2025) – The STFX X-Men find themselves back in a familiar place.
The top-seeded X-Men handed the fourth-ranked UNB REDS a 90-55 loss on Saturday afternoon in their 2025 Bell AUS Men's Basketball Championship semifinal game, paving the way for them to play in their fourth AUS title game in the past five years.
"It's all business. We know we're competing for one thing and that's the AUS championship. We're just locked in," said STFX guard, AUS First Team All-Star and league MVP, D.J. Jackson, in a post-game interview. "We're going to get a good night's sleep now, watch some tape and get ready mentally."
X will now await the winner of Saturday night's semifinal game between the UPEI Panthers and Cape Breton University Capers to see who they will square off against in Sunday's gold medal game scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax.
STFX fell in last year's final in a thrilling overtime contest against the Dalhousie University Tigers.
A win this time around would move X into a tie with Saint Mary's University for the second most AUS men's basketball titles all-time with 14. Acadia holds the record with 17.
The X-Men showed no rust Saturday afternoon after earning a bye to the semis thanks to their first-place finish during the regular season. They came out of the gates fast and took a 22-13 lead into the second quarter.
Jackson led the nation in scoring during the regular season, averaging 24.4 points per game. He found another gear for the post-season, scoring 33 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing out six assists in Saturday's win to be named the Subway Player of the Game.
He did all that after sitting out most of the first quarter after picking up two quick fouls. When he returned in the second quarter, he scored 15 points to give his team a commanding 50-33 lead at halftime.
UNB looked to emulate Friday's comeback win, but could not find the bottom of the basket in the second half – shooting 29 percent from the field in the third and just 16 percent in the fourth.
Jackson's teammate, Bennett Grumbach, also had a big night with 15 points – 12 of those coming from beyond the three-point arc.
Marcus Barnes scored 27 for the REDS in their quarter-final win Friday afternoon over Memorial University, but struggled from the field on Saturday, shooting just 4-for-17 from the field and finishing with 11 points.
Brandon Laryea led the REDS with 13 points – seven of those coming in the first quarter.