By Corey LeBlanc
Sydney, N.S. – The hometown Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers (4-7) scored an emphatic 92-61 victory over the Dalhousie Tigers (7-5) in Atlantic University Sport (AUS) men's basketball action at Sullivan Fieldhouse on Friday evening.
Tyson Cato (Ajax, ON) – the Subway player of the game – led the winning effort with 21 points and nine rebounds.
Early in the match-up, the sides traded baskets in the important four-point game in the conference standings.
On the strength of a hoop from Cato and a Justus Peuser (Geisenheim, Germany) fast-break finish – off a nifty feed from Paul Watson (Mississauga, ON) – the Capers led 16-8.
After Mitchell Mersereau (Sydney, NS) drained a three-pointer, CBU took its first double-digit advantage – at 22-12 – in the back half of the opening 10 minutes.
The Capers led 25-12 after the first quarter.
Peuser – a first-year point guard – continued to be aggressive, scoring five consecutive points to help extend the CBU edge to 31-19 early in the second stanza.
A few minutes later, Tiger sharpshooter Malcolm Christie (Fredericton, NB) got free for a three-pointer that trimmed the Caper lead to 40-30.
CBU answered with a 7-0 burst, one highlighted by a tic-tac-toe hoop; after Watson made a steal on the defensive end, he then fed Peuser, who lofted a rim-bound pass that AUS-leading scorer Osman 'Ozzy' Omar kissed off the glass for a 47-30 lead.
Trying to keep the visitors within striking distance, Christie sank a second straight attempt from beyond the arc.
Nevertheless, the Capers led 49-33 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Tigers came out determined to carve into the deficit, but the home side replied, including from beyond the arc. After Omar nailed a three-pointer, the Capers led 56-39.
And, whenever Dalhousie seemed poised to make a run, Cato scored, including a sensational put back after getting the offensive rebound from his spinning lay-up attempt that rolled off the rim.
Late in the third frame, Mersereau scored four consecutive points, including a corner three-pointer, which helped the CBU lead balloon to 62-41.
Despite a late three-pointer from Christie, the Capers led 69-46 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, CBU locked down defensively and Dalhousie didn't threaten a comeback; the Caper edge hovered above the 30-point mark for most of the stanza.
Nginyu Ngala (Montreal, QC) led the Tigers with 13 points, while adding two rebounds and two assists.
Christie finished with 11 points, including three baskets from downtown, and three rebounds.
In a balanced CBU attack led by Cato, Omar finished with 19 points, three rebounds and one assist, while Peuser added 16 points.
Jason Callaghan, who had nine points, and Watson led the Capers with and six and five assists, respectively, while Ruta – a dominant presence on both ends of the floor – chipped in nine points and eight rebounds.
The Tigers will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 8 p.m., when they travel to Antigonish to face the STFX X-Men.
The Capers return to the court on Sunday, Jan. 15, at 4 p.m., for a road match-up with the UNB Reds in Fredericton.
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