No 5-ranked Axemen defeat Huskies, advance to face second-ranked Capers in AUS final

(HALIFAX, N.S.) – The second-seeded and CIS No. 5-ranked Acadia Axemen defeated the sixth-seeded Saint Mary's Huskies 74-55 in Subway AUS semifinal action Saturday evening in front of 5,118 fans at the Halifax Metro Centre.

With the win, the Axemen advance to Sunday afternoon`s AUS championship final against the top-seeded and CIS No. 2-ranked Cape Breton Capers.

Acadia guard and Halifax native Tyler Scott was named the Subway Player of the Game as he collected 19 points and six rebounds in the win.

Huskies forward Riley Halpin led the charge for his squad with a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds in the loss.

In the first quarter, the Axemen showed why they are one of the deepest teams in the country as they received offensive contributions throughout the whole lineup.

Two-time AUS defensive player of the year Owen Klassen and second-year guard Tyler Scott notched two big baskets at the end of the quarter to send Acadia into the second frame with an 18-15 lead.

The Huskies responded early in the second quarter by narrowing the Axemen lead to one early on, but the red and white were able to steal the Huskies' momentum and widen their lead to seven points as they led 35-27 after the first half.

Klassen, standing 6'10 inches tall, brought the crowd to their feet with a huge block on Harry Ezenibe late in the quarter.

The third quarter saw both teams trade baskets but the Axemen already surmounted a wide enough gap to keep the Huskies at bay 54-45 after thirty minutes.

Scott continued to make his presence felt as he cashed in on two three-point daggers to help the Axemen hold a comfortable 10-point lead going into the final quarter.

The Axemen opened up the game in the final quarter as they pressured the Huskies' defense and forced several turnovers en route to finishing off their opponents by a final score of 74-55.

Three-point shooting ace Anthony Ashe provided secondary scoring for the Axemen as he notched 15 points and 13 rebounds for the victors.

Harry Ezenibe, the AUS Student-Athlete Community Service Award recipient played a solid game for the Huskies, scoring 10 points and adding five rebounds.

Sunday afternoon's championship game will pit the top two teams in the conference against one another.

The Capers will face off against the Axemen in a battle of two powerhouse squads. Tip-off at the Halifax Metro centre is 2:00pm.

Source: Jamie Kelly, AUS Communications
Photo courtesy of Nick Pearce (www.123photo.ca)