X-Men clinch 1st place with double OT win over Capers

The X-Men basketball team clinched first place Thursday night with a 93-84 double overtime win over the Cape Breton Capers in an action-packed game in front of a full house at the StFX Oland Centre.

The battle for top spot in the AUS began with a very close first half as the two teams were deadlocked at 17-17 after the first quarter and 32-32 at half-time. The Capers then went on a scoring run in the third quarter and led by as much as 14 points at one point, but the hometown X-Men clawed their way back and held the Capers scoreless in the final three minutes of the third quarter to pull to within a point after three quarters of play, with the score 54-53 for CBU.

The fourth quarter featured more close play with the lead no greater then 3 points for either team throughout the final 10 minutes. The game closed out with the two teams tied at 67-67, much to the excitement of the boisterous Oland Centre crowd which featured a mix of both blue and white X fans and orange Caper fans.

Fans were not disappointed with the first overtime period either as the two top teams in the AUS went end to end exchanging baskets. As the Capers came down court in the final seconds, Chris Noodle was fouled and went to the free throw line for 2 shots with a chance to win the game as the Capers were down by one point. He made good on his first shot but missed the second, sending the game into a second overtime period as the score remained tied at 76-76.

The X-Men got off to an early four-point lead in the second overtime and held the lead for the remainder of the five-minute frame. Chad Warren hit a key three-pointer to increase the X-Men lead to 6 points and the Capers could not catch up and were left trying to foul the X-Men to get the ball back. The final outcome was a 93-84 decision in favor of StFX.

X-Men Subway Player of the Game Terrence Taylor led all scorers with 27 points, and also posted 11 rebounds. Christian T-Bear Upshaw scored 18 points for X while Tyler Richards scored 17. Dwyane Johnson had 11 points and 6 rebounds.

Five different Capers hit the double scoring figures, including Philip Nkrumah who had a double-double with 18 points and a whooping 19 rebounds. Ryan Roper scored 14 points, Scott Jaspers-Fayer had 12, Chris Noodle scored 11 and Lasario Burrows contributed 10 for the Capers.

With the win, the X-Men clinch first spot overall in the AUS conference with a 17-3 record and 46 points. The Capers (15-5) wrap up second place and earn the other first round bye in the playoffs with 40 points. Third place is up for grabs between the Dalhousie Tigers and Saint Mary’s Huskies as they will play against each other Saturday in the final regular season game. UPEI and Acadia have locked up the final playoff spots.

The AUS championship is slated for March 5-7 at the Halifax Metro Centre.