Capers advance to semifinals with 89-66 win over X-Men

(HALIFAX, N.S.) The Cape Breton Capers (4^th) defeated the StFX X-Men (5^th) 89-66 in Friday evening's first men's quarterfinal of the Subway AUS Basketball Championships.

The Capers were led by Osman Omar, who posted a game-high 22 points and added four rebounds, four steals, and four assists.

Omar opened the scoring on the night with a three pointer just over a minute into the first frame.

The first started off with back-and-forth action as the X-Men led 17-14 with the clock winding down in the quarter. With just seconds remaining in the frame, Cape Breton's Tevin Bartley drew a foul, successfully draining his first foul shot. AUS Defensive Player of the Year, Paul Watson, picked up the rebound on second free throw to drain the ball and tie the game at 17-17 heading into the second.

Watson led the Capers after the first with eight points and four rebounds. 

The Capers began to pull ahead in the second, holding a 30-19 lead at the half-way mark of the quarter. The X-Men began to bounce back, as they scored eight unanswered points to put them within three with 1:47 remaining in the second.

However, the X-Men were unable to keep up with the Capers at the end of the frame, as Cape Breton scored eight points to hold a 39-31 lead at halftime.

Watson had a massive first half for the Capers, posting 17 points and adding five rebounds, two assists, and four steals.

Justin Andrew led the X-Men at halftime with eight points, while Azaro Roker had eight rebounds. 

The Capers quickly pulled away in the third, as they held a 54-35 lead with five minutes remaining in the frame.

Shacier Locke put up eight points for the Capers in the third, allowing them to hold a 66-45 edge heading into the final 10 minutes of regulation.

With under seven minutes remaining in regulation, Omar posted a three-pointer allowing the Capers to pull ahead 74-51.

Two successful free throws from StFX's Brandon Velocci put the X-Men within 20 as they looked for the comeback.

StFX's efforts fell short, as the Capers outscored the X-Men 23-21 in the final frame to hold on for an 89-66 victory.

Watson earned Subway Player of the Game honours on the night, posting 19 points and adding nine rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Andrew finished with a team-high 12 points for the X-Men, adding three rebounds and two steals on the night.

Cape Breton now advances to the semi-finals as they take on the Saint Mary's Huskies in the first semifinal game at 6:30 pm at the Scotiabank Centre.