WOLFVILLE, N.S. - The Axemen's four game winning streak came to an end on Monday night in an overtime thriller against the 10-6 Saint Mary's Huskies who came out on top 106-101.
Acadia jumped out to a 7-2 lead at the start of the game but then went cold as Saint Mary's went on an 8-0 run of their own to grab a 10-7 lead. Acadia had 11 turnovers in the quarter compared to three for the Huskies and trailed 17-20 at the end of the first. The lone highlight for the Axemen was a huge one handed putback slam by Owen Klassen that ignited the crowd.
The defense on both teams was strong in the second and Acadia limited their turnovers significantly but were unable to contain Boyd Vassell who scored nine points in the second frame and 35 on the night, earning him the player of the game for Saint Mary's. The Huskies maintained a three point advantage, 38-35 at the end of the second.
After the intermission, Acadia came out firing, scoring 35 points in the third quarter and reclaiming the lead from Saint Mary's 70-63. Anthony Ashe went off for 13 points in the quarter and finished with 16 on the night while Klassen added 11 in the third alone. Klassen finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds earning a double-double and Acadia's Player of the Game honour.
The duo of Vassell and Theon Reefer brought pressure in the fourth, contributing a combined 22 points. Reefer finished with a game high 36 points. Acadia saw their lead slip away, trailing by three with seven seconds remaining in the game. Coming out of the timeout, with four seconds on the clock and well beyond the distance arc, Kyle Arsenault drained a huge three-point pointer to force the game into overtime.
Reefer scored the first six points, in overtime for Saint Mary's and added two at the end to seal the game as Acadia missed some crucial free throws and could not overcome 32 turnovers resulting in 37 converted points for the Huskies. The Axemen fell 106-101 as overtime expired.
Arsenault finished the game with 16 points, no points bigger than the three that forced overtime. Arsenautl also added 10 rebounds in the loss, while senior forward Anthony Sears chipped in 18 points.
The Axemen will play Saint F.X. on Friday and then head to Cape Breton for a Saturday afternoon matchup while Saint Mary's takes on UNB on Friday and in two weeks time, host Memorial for a pair of games time to finish up their regular season.