The Saint Mary’s Huskies defeated the visiting Acadia Axemen 104-96 in double-overtime in the first of a two game weekend for the Axemen.
Guard Nico Brauner scored a game-high 26 points for Saint Mary’s and added seven rebounds in the win while Nikita Kasongo added 22 points and six rebounds for the Huskies.
In his first game this year as a Cape Breton Caper transfer, Junior Moaku-Matia paced Acadia’s offense with 22 points while Trevon Grant added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Axemen.
Grant’s double-double came on the heels of a last-second game-tying three-pointer for the Axemen as time expired in the fourth quarter.
The bucket sent the game into overtime tied at 75-75.
Neither team led by more than two points in the first overtime, as both teams traded baskets thru the first six minutes.
A pair of three-pointers by both teams saw the game tied 83-83 with 2:30 left in the first overtime.
An Acadia layup extended the Axemen lead 85-83 with 2:09 left in overtime.
Kasongo nailed a three-pointer with 52 seconds left and two Brent Martindale free-throws’ saw Huskies up 88-85 with 17 seconds left.
After an Acadia time-out, the Axemen had two looks from beyond the three-point land and Bedford, Nova Scotia’s Nick De Palma hit a three-pointer as time ran out in the first overtime tied, 88-88.
SMU doubled-up Acadia 16-8 in the second overtime and took the victory 104-96.
De Palma finished with 16 points in the loss for Acadia, who drop to 12-4 on the year.
Kemar Alleyne chipped in 17 points in 48 minutes of action for Saint Mary’s as teammate Osman Barrie contributed a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
The Axemen basketball team got back on the winning track with a convincing 92-63 win over the visiting Cape Breton Capers after dropping two 4-point games to Saint Mary’s on Friday evening.
The Axemen currently sit second in the AUS standings with three games remaining in the regular season.
Down 20-17 after the opening quarter, the Axemen out-played the Capers in the second frame by a score of 27-11. Erik Nissen came to life and posted nine points in the second quarter alone. Nissen finished the game with 15 points and eight rebounds.
Trevon Grant’s two three-point baskets at the 6:48 and 5:57 marks of the second quarter gave the Axemen a lead that would hold for the remainder of the game.
With a 44-31 lead at the half and 63-41 after three quarters, the Axemen pushed the lead to a game-high of 32 points with 4:24 remaining in the game.
The Axemen had 40 points off the bench that included Subway Player of the Game Ben Miller’s team-high 16 points. Nissen and Mitch Tempro each had 15 points and Nick De Palma added 12 points. Six Axemen posted double-digit scoring.
“It was a good win. We played double overtime yesterday (vs. Saint Mary’s) so it was good to get a great start so everyone could play. Coach has been instilling the idea to share the ball more and face the floor more and it will make everybody’s job easier,” noted Trevon Grant in a postgame interview.
Martin Campbell led all scorers with 24 points for the Capers. Off the bench, Grant Dickinson added 12. Paul Watson recorded 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists.
The Capers were less than perfect from the floor, shooting 29% and pulling down only 37 rebounds compared the Acadia’s 53.
The Axemen improve to 13-4, while the Capers drop to 2-15.
The Axemen host Dalhousie next Thursday, February 15 in Acadia’s last home game of the season. The Capers will look for wins against Saint Mary’s next Friday and Saturday in Sydney, N.S.
