Game recap by: Kirk Jessome
(Halifax, NS) – In game two of the home-and-home series between the teams, the Dalhousie Tigers hosted the StFX X-Men. With a few clutch possessions in the dying seconds, the Tigers were able to hold on to a 78-72 win to sweep the series.
The first run of the game came from the interior play of the X-Men, crashing the offensive boards and getting Atik Gilao (Brampton, ON) going early from midrange, and in the paint, finishing an and-one play to make it 7-2 early.
The offense was stalled for the Tigers, but they slowly chipped away at the hole, starting with Alex Carson (Lower Sackville, NS) knocking down a shot from the outside, opening up room in the paint for Sascha Kappos (Miami, FL) to get touches inside.
At the end of a tight quarter, the Tigers were able to take an 18-17 lead.
The Tigers continued to push the ball inside early in the quarter, this time with Mike Shoveller (Arnprior, ON) picking up six quick points in the opening minutes.
On the other end, outside shots kept falling for the X-Men, with Justin Andrew (Hamilton, ON) and Thomas Legallais (Cornwall, ON) each hitting a shot from deep.
Legallais and Daniel Passley (Mississauga, ON) each hit one more from long range late in the half, but the interior shots were falling at a higher rate for the Tigers, and helping them earn trips to the line.
Heading into the break, the Tigers still held the lead at 41-37.
The second half started at a furious rate, with both teams trading threes. The X-Men started it off with Jaydan Smith (Halifax, NS) hitting back to back, while Jordan Brathwaite (Milton, ON) answered both of them on the other end.
The X-Men battled on the inside throughout the quarter, with Passley getting the majority of the touches in the paint.
The Tigers offense slowed at the end of the third, and the X-Men were able to make back ground after the barrage of threes launched by the Tigers. A tough and-one play from Lagallais ended off the quarter, with the Tigers leading by just one.
The fourth quarter was scrappy and defensive, with scoring hard to come by on both ends.
Coming down to the final two minutes in a tight matchup, the X-Men were able to capitalize on defensive plays, opening up easy running lanes off of steals.
The Tigers were able to settle in late in the game, with Alex Carson stepping in to knock down a clutch floater, followed by Jordan Brathwaite getting on the offensive glass and finishing a tough play to give the Tigers a two-possession lead.
Forcing the X-Men to foul in the dying seconds, Brathwaite and Sascha Kappos were able to make their free throws to secure the hard-fought win for the Tigers with a final of 78-72.
Daniel Passley led the scoring for the X-Men in this one, finishing with 16 points and 5 rebounds, while Mike Shoveller finished with 15 points and 6 boards. Jordan Brathwaite's scoring at a critical point in the game earned him the Subway Player of the Game title in the victory.
The Tigers will be back on the court on Tuesday for a 4-point game against Saint Mary's, while the X-Men will be back at home on Wednesday to take on Cape Breton.