Axemen undefeated in 2019 with third win in a row

WOLFVILLE, N.S. - The Acadia Axemen take their second game against the Memorial Seahawks this weekend in a  79-69 win on Sunday and extend their winning streak to three.

Up 23-19 in the first quarter, the Axemen demonstrated a strong desire to sweep the weekend series against the Sea-Hawks.

The game began to even out during the second, with the Seahawks keeping the Axemen offence at bay. Acadia's efficiency from the arch dropped significantly from the first quarter by hitting none of their nine three-point attempts in the second.

Acadia fell behind by 11 before the end of the half, with a score favouring the Seahawks 45-34.

Nathan Barker (Massey Drive, Nfld.) exploded in the first half, putting up 19 points to lead all players.

An evenly matched third quarter, the game continued to go back and forth, as the Axemen made another push to momentarily take the lead again. At the close of the third quarter, the score slightly favoured the Seahawks 65-63.

The Axemen did not let up in the fourth, taking command of the lead again after their three-point shooting percentage saw a significant rise thanks to the contribution of Winnipeg native Ben Miller, who started to heat up in the second half.

Miller had 14 points in the game, 12 of them coming off his four made three-point shots. Adding 2 rebounds and 2 assists, Miller would be named Acadia's Subway Player of the Game.

The Seahawks gave one more push and came within 2 points, but the Axemen responded with several buckets of their own by extending the lead and finishing with a 79-69 Acadia win.

Miller's teammates Eli Kraushar and Jacques Lukusa each contributed 14 points, while Junior Moaku-Matia netted 11 points and added seven rebounds.

"I would say we are still learning. Playing 40 minutes of basketball is still something we are working on and hopefully, we get there by the time March comes around," noted Miller following the win.

Memorial had 16 turnovers in the game, one of the big reasons they fell short.

Barker did all he could for the Seahawks, going 25-6-1 during the 40-minute game. He led all scorers and locked up his team's Player of the Game award. Boris Ristanovic added 15 points and Jason Thompson led the Sea-Hawks rebounding with eight.

The Seahawks are hosting Saint Mary's University on January 20th.

The Axemen hope to extend their winning streak to four this Friday when they have a visit from UNB Reds at 8:00 pm at Stu Aberdeen Court.

by Theodore Giesen, Acadia Athletics Communications Office.