The basketball X-Men played a close game with the visiting Dalhousie Tigers Sunday afternoon at the StFX Oland Centre and were left stunned on the court as Tigers guard Josh Beattie hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to win the game for Dalhousie by an 80-79 margin.

The Tigers sunk three three-pointers in the final 30 seconds of the game to help seal the win, gaining a key four points in the standings with the win and in doing so prolonging the X-Men’s chance at a first place clinch of the AUS conference. Their upcoming Thursday night game against the second place Cape Breton Capers now becomes a show-down for the top spot as the X-Men hold a two point lead in the standings and the game is worth four points.

The two teams were close throughout the game with the Tigers opening up with an 18-13 lead after the first quarter and a 41-35 lead at half-time. The X-Men battled back in the third quarter, outscoring the Tigers 23-11. T-Bear Upshaw scored 18 of his 28 points in the second half for the X-Men while Tyler Richards scored 18 of his game high 30 points.

Down the stretch it was the Dalhousie baskets from three-point range that sealed the deal for the Tigers, resulting in the win at the buzzer as they made their way up the court with only 9 seconds remaining and Andrew Sullivan dished to Beattie for the winning basket. Player of the Game Simon Farine scored 28 points for the Tigers while Beattie tallied 17.

Richards led the X-Men with 30 points and also had 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Upshaw scored 28 points, added 5 rebounds and 3 assists while Sean Nickel came off the bench to score 9 points for the Blue and White.

The X-Men’s final regular season game is set for 7:00 pm Thursday night at the StFX Oland Centre against the rival Cape Breton Capers. StFX currently sits in first place with a 16-3 record and 42 points, while the Capers (16-4) are in second spot with 40 points. A win for either team will clinch first place overall.