Axemen come out flat against Stingers

(Halifax, NS) – In the first game of day two of the Shoveller Memorial Invitational Basketball Tournament the Acadia Axemen took on the Concordia Stingers at the Dalplex. The Stingers got out to an early lead in the first quarter and didn't look back as they controlled this one and took the 85-69 victory. 

The game got off to a hot offensive start with plenty of scoring on both sides in the first quarter.  

Acadia pounded the ball inside and used their combination of offensive big-men in Erik Nissen (Quispamsis, NB) and Rhys Larry (Brockville, ON) combining for 16 points in the first quarter.  

The Stingers scoring was balanced throughout the lineup with big contributions from their bench. They spread the floor and used well timed cuts to the hoop to pick up easy points in the paint.  

The Stingers held the advantage after the first quarter, up 24-15.  

It was a tough start to the second quarter for the Axemen as a string of frustrating turnovers led to Concordia going on a 10-3 run in the first five minutes of the quarter. The Stingers were getting it done from the line, and the scoring run was capped off by a big shot from Ricardo Monge (Gatineau, QC) to put them up 19. 

Needing to climb back into the game, the Axemen went back to what was working for them in the first, and started moving the ball inside to Nissen who showed great footwork with his back to the hoop.  

With foul trouble building up for the Axemen, they moved to an inside-out game with their shots starting to fall. Mason Middaugh's (London, ON) shot from beyond the arc brought Acadia back within 12.  

But the Stingers were not to be outdone from long-range as Adrian Armstrong (London, ON) came off the bench to answer with back-to-back threes of his own to put Concordia back up 18 heading into halftime with the score at 46-28.  

The spacing on the floor continued to open up midrange shots for the Stingers in the third quarter. The ball swung quickly along the perimeter and Ricardo Monge taking advantage of the open looks by knocking down jumpers.  

The size of the Axemen was obvious with the amount of offensive rebounds they picked up in the third, with Forest Mahoney (Beachburg, ON) putting in work off the bench.  

The shots were falling at a high rate for the Stingers as they went into the fourth quarter up 66-52.  

Both teams continued their respective offensive styles through the fourth quarter with outside shots falling for the Stingers, and the Axemen attacking the lane with their size.  

Turnovers started to become an issue for both sides in the fourth as play started to get a sloppy.  

The Axemen were still able to get into the lane, but couldn't combine their scoring with stops to cut down the deficit and the Stingers stayed in control down the stretch to take the 85-69 win.  

Forest Mahoney was strong off the bench for Acadia and earned the player of the game title with 11 points and three rebounds. Nicholas Noble got the nod for Concordia with his 16 point, four assist performance.  

Acadia will play at 9:00am Sunday in the 7th place game, while Concordia will play at 11:00 for 5th place. The Axemen take on Mount St. Vincent Mystics on Dec. 31 at 9:00 am.

Submitted by Kirk Jessome, Dalhousie Athletics Communicaitons Office