Reds hand X-Men second loss of weekend
The UNB Reds recovered from early struggles to sweep their weekend series with a 92-71 win over the StFX X-Men on Saturday night.
FREDERICTON, NB - The UNB Reds recovered from early struggles to sweep their weekend series with a 92-71 win over the StFX X-Men on Saturday night.
The Reds overcame a strong start from the X-Men to trail by the narrow margin of 17-15 after the first quarter.
The second quarter went back and forth with multiple lead changes between the two teams. UNB had the lead for the most part, despite a last-minute basket giving the X-Men a one-point advantage, 39-38, at the half.
"I guess after a twenty-point win, we think the same thing is going to happen and we can't keep doing that," said Reds guard Chris Spurrell (Quispamsis, NB). "They came out with a lot of fire and we saw what happened."
Spurrell led all players with 14 points and went 4-for-6 from the three-point line in the half.
The Reds pulled away in the second half, taking and holding the lead for the duration of the third quarter off some impressive team shooting, going 3-for-4 from beyond the ark.
The Reds kept their foot on the gas for the entire fourth quarter to thwart any chance of a comeback for the X-Men.
"I think on rebounds, big Iba and Ty (Ibrahima Doumbouya and Tyrell Leotaud), they do a great job on the boards and as soon as they get the rebound they're looking for us guys to attack the rim, especially Chris Spurrell, he had a great game today," said Reds guard Daniel Pitcher (Sydney, AUS) when asked about his team's adjustments.
Pitcher was named Subway Player of the Game, finishing with 16 points, five assists and eight rebounds.
Spurrell finished with a game-high 23 points and went 5-for-8 on three-pointers, while Ibrahima Doumbouya (Calgary, AB) had 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
Justin Andrew (Hamilton, ON) and Daniel Passley (Mississauga, ON) led the X-Men with 14 points each.
The Reds improve to 10-and-5, while the X-Men drop to 4-and-9.
The Reds play their next game in Charlottetown when they take on the UPEI Panthers, next Saturday at 8:00pm.
The X-Men are home to the Memorial Sea-Hawks next Saturday.
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Courtesy Jonathon James, UNB Athletics