HALIFAX, NS – The U SPORTS No. 7 ranked St. Francis Xavier X-Men were too much for the Saint Mary's Huskies to handle, taking down the home team 91-73 on Saturday night at the Homburg Centre.
The Huskies got off to an early 6-2 lead thanks to pair of lay-ins by forward Jackson Enyinna (Port Harcourt, Nigeria), but the high-powered X-Men came storming back on a 28-4 run, thanks in part to some great play by forward Deon Ejim (Brampton, ON) and back-to-back three-pointers by forward Bennett Grumbach (Toronto, ON) put the visitors 30-10 with just over two minutes remaining in the quarter.
The Huskies responded on a mini 8-0 run of their own, capped off by a three-pointer by Dontae Mitchell (Vaughan, ON), cutting the X-Men lead to 30-18 at the end of the first.
The STFX offensive clinic continued into the second quarter, with forwards Ejim and David Muenkat (Brampton, ON) each throwing down a pair of explosive dunks, on their way to eight points each in the quarter. A three-ball by Huskies forward Kenny Ngassoue (Scarborough, ON), helped cut into the visitors lead, but STFX led 53-35 at the half.
The X-Men were led in the first half by Ejim with 15 points on 7/8 from the field, and Muenkat with 14 points including a perfect 7/7 from the free-throw line. The Huskies backcourt of Shae Linton-Brown (Toronto, ON) and Mitchell combined for 24 of the Huskies 35 first half points.
Saint Mary's responded in the second half by scoring four quick points to cut the X-Men lead to 14, causing STFX coach Tyrell Vernon to take a timeout. The X-Men would go on a 16-5 run over the next few minutes, including eight points by guard Dondre Reddick (Antigonish, NS), as X opened up a 69-44 lead. Once again, the Huskies cut into the deficit, with guards Ethan Vey (Conception Bay, NL), Jonas Maerz (Rosenheim, Germany) and forward Jonah Crowther (Dartmouth, NS) each hitting three's but the X-Men took a 76-56 lead into the fourth.
In the fourth quarter, Huskies guard Shae Linton-Brown scored seven of his team-high 23 points in the bench, and the Huskies outscored the X-Men 17-15, but it was too little too late, as the X-Men held on for a 91-73 victory.
STFX forward David Muenkat was named Subway Player of the Game with a team-high 19 points, and added eight rebounds, two steals, a block and an assist. Deon Ejim chipped in 17 points and eight rebounds, Dondre Reddick dropped 14 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and four assists, and guard Avan Nava (Mississauga, ON) scored 13 points to round out the X-Men in double figures.
The Huskies were led by Shae Linton-Brown with 23 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals, and Dontae Mitchell with 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
The X-Men win improved their conference-leading record to 13-3 on the season. They'll be back on the road next weekend, visiting the UNB REDS on Sunday, Feb. 5, with tip-off scheduled for 4 p.m.
The Huskies loss dropped their record to 7-8 on the campaign. They too will hit the road next weekend, visiting the UPEI Panthers on Friday night at 8 p.m.
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Recap by Allan April / SMU Huskies Athletics
David Muenkat earns Subway Player of the Game honours with 19 points & 8 rebounds in the X-Men's 91-73 victory over Saint Mary's tonight! #goxgo #SubwayFuel pic.twitter.com/leykTJktGO
— StFX Athletics (@StFXAthletics) January 29, 2023