Huskies play catchup for the 76-74 win over Axemen

WOLFVILLE, N.S. – The Acadia Axemen suffered a disappointing 76-74 loss against the Saint Mary's Huskies in AUS men's basketball Sunday action.

Despite holding on to a lead until just over a minute remaining in the third quarter, the Axemen succumbed to a late third-quarter rally by the Huskies.

Late in the opening half, the Axemen accumulated their largest lead of 17 points on a gritty defensive effort along with ball control. Rowan Power led all on the court with 11 first-half points as the Acadia closed the half with a 44-31 lead.

While a free throw percentage of 61.9% was the sore spot for the Huskies, Saint Mary's prevailed with 47.6 from the floor and minimal turnovers.

Saint Mary's tied the game up at 57 with a Shae Linton-Brown bucket from the three-point line with 1:03 remaining in the third quarter.

A back-and-forth fourth quarter opened up for the Huskies after a Johneil Johnson layup pushed Saint Mary's ahead 72-65 with just over six minutes remaining in regulation time. The seven-point lead would be the largest Huskies lead in the game and a lead would hold until the 76-74 final.

An Alex Muise layup with a minute and a half remaining closed the Huskies' lead to 73-72. A made jump shot by Dantae Mitchell combined with a Jayrell Diggs free-throw solidified the win.

The Huskies would hold on to their small lead into the closing minute for the nail-biting win.

Linton-Brown was named the Subway Player of the Game for his effort which included a game-high 20 points, five rebounds, and a 56% field goal percentage. Nikita Kasongo led the Huskies on the boards with 13 rebounds – nine defensive.

Rowan Power and Alex Muise netted 17 points each in the Axemen effort. Eli Kraushar and Jack Tilley each added 11 points, while Brett Speedy added 8 points off the bench.

The Axemen host the first place Dalhousie Tigers this coming Friday night, while Saint Mary's are back in action next Saturday and Sunday against the visiting Memorial Sea-Hawks.