The StFX X-Men rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half to earn an 82-74 victory over the Memorial Sea-Hawks in AUS basketball action Sunday afternoon at Oland Centre in Antigonish.
Freshman guard Julius Antoine keyed the comeback with six consecutive points in the fourth quarter, including two coming off a steal and lay-up.
"My job is to bring energy and to play defense," Antoine said in a post-game interview.
The native of Woodbridge, Ont., contributed 10 points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and one blocked shot in the win.
"I am so competitive. I never want to lose and I get fired up," the Subway player of the game added.
Two fifth-year seniors also helped secure the X-Men triumph.
Will Donkoh was the game-high scorer with 22 points, including four three-pointers. He added four assists, one rebound and three steals.
Jordan Clarke, with 11 points, hit a clutch three-pointer in the final minutes to give the X-Men a 76-70 lead, while sinking several late free throws.
The Oakville, Ont. native added four rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots.
At halftime, Donkoh, an X-Men co-captain, said the team needed to step up its effort, especially on the defensive end.
The X-Men surrendered 46 first-half points.
"That's unacceptable," Antoine said of the statistic after the game.
"We worked hard and locked in for the second half, especially in the fourth quarter," he added.
Off the bench, Shane Coupland and Alex Arthur scored nine points apiece, while starting big men Cameron Walker and Kevin Bercy added eight points each.
Walker led the X-Men with seven rebounds, while rookie point guard Jameel Williamson added six.
For the Sea-Hawks, point guard Davion Parnsalu scored 20, while forwards Caleb Gould and Vasilije Curcic added 19 and 18 points, respectively.
Gould led Memorial with seven rebounds, while Curcic recorded three blocked shots.
The X-Men shot 82 per cent - 19 for 23 - from the free throw line.
Led by 52 points from the bench, the X-Men cruised to an 85-65 home victory over the Sea-Hawks Saturday night.
Subway player of the game David Benoit, a sophomore shooting guard, scored nine points in the second half on three 3-point baskets.
"It felt great to be able to help the team," he said after the game.
Coupland and Arthur topped the X-Men with 11 points apiece. They added eight and seven rebounds, respectively.
Forward Kevin Bercy also hit double digits with 10 points, while adding four assists.
Williamson chipped in five assists, five rebounds and three steals, with Antoine contributed eight points, four assists and four rebounds.
First-year point guard Davonte Provo hooped nine points, two assists, two rebounds and one steal.
"We upped the pressure and played tough defense," Provo said at halftime.
"We also started to make shots."
The X-Men, who jumped to a 20-point second quarter lead, led 42-27 at halftime.
Gould of the Sea-Hawks led all scorers with 14 points, while adding eight rebounds.
Parnsalu contributed 13 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Curcic and Kieran Hawksley, who was five-for-six from the field, added 11 points apiece for the Sea-Hawks.
"We started slowly but we increased the intensity," Benoit said of the X-Men's effort.
The X-Men return to action Friday, January 31, when they host the Saint Mary's Huskies. Game time is 8 p.m. at Oland Centre.
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