Antigonish, NS - The StFX X-Men earned a 77-71 win over the Acadia Axemen in AUS basketball action Friday night at Oland Centre.
In a crucial game with playoff implications, the X-Men (4-8) joined the Axemen (4-8) in sixth place in the conference with 10 points apiece with the victory.
"We definitely needed that one," fifth-year senior forward Shane Coupland (Brisbane, AUS) said after the game.
The Subway player of the game hooped a game-high 22 points, including six straight free throws down the stretch, to help secure the win. He added eight rebounds, two assists and five steals, including two pivotal thefts in the final two minutes.
"We really wanted to compete tonight on every possession and we were able to do that," Coupland said.
Julius Antoine (Woodbridge, ON) and Temitayo Shittu (Burlington, ON) also hit double figures for the blue and white with 15 and 11 points, respectively.
Antoine added seven rebounds, four steals and two assists, while Shittu also corralled seven rebounds and four steals.
Davonte Provo (East Preston, NS) led the X-Men with six assists.
The X-Men jumped to a 10-0 advantage before the Axemen scored their first points with six minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
StFX, who led by as many as 19 points in the first half, were up 47-32 at halftime.
"We are a deep and talented team and when players get their chance they have to step up and we did that in the first half," X-Men guard Jordan Tyrrell (Montreal, QC), who is out for the season with a broken foot, said at the intermission.
In the second half, the Axemen climbed back into the game by outscoring the X-Men 23 to 11 in the third quarter.
Acadia got as close as one-point in the fourth quarter (66-65), but the visitors never led in the match-up.
Sean Stoqua (Ottawa, ON) led the Axemen with 21 points, including five three-pointers, while adding six rebounds, five assists and five steals.
Shaquille Smith (North Preston, NS), with 16 points, was the only other Acadia player in double digits. He added seven rebounds and two steals in a losing cause.
Ben Miller (Winnipeg, MB), who led Acadia with six assists, also chipped in eight points, five rebounds and three steals.
Both teams collected 36 rebounds, while Acadia committed 27 turnovers compared to 17 for StFX.
The Axemen will return to action Tuesday, Jan. 27, when they travel to Halifax to face the Dalhousie Tigers.
The X-Men will tip-off against the rival Saint Mary's Huskies Wednesday, Jan 28. Game time is 8 p.m. at Oland Centre.
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