After late scare, Redmen power past Axemen 84-73
The McGill Redmen nearly gave up an early lead, but they held on to defeat the Acadia Axemen in their first game at the Shoveller.
Game 3: McGill 84 vs Acadia 73
The McGill Redmen used a strong first half to book a ticket to the semifinals as they defeated the Acadia Axemen 84-73 Friday night at the Dalplex. After jumping out to a 19-11 lead after the first quarter, the Redmen kept up the pressure and held a 13 point lead after the first half.
The Axemen trailed by as many as 19 in the third quarter but Sean Stoqua's jumper with 6:39 left in the fourth cut the lead to single digits. Stoqua would make trim the lead to just three points when he nailed a triple with 5:42 left, but that's as close as they'd get as the Redmen pulled away late to win 84-73.
Vincent Dufort led the Redmen with 18 points, nine boards and five assists, while Noah Daoust had 18 points off the bench on 6-12 shooting.
Despite the game looking like it would end up as a blowout at times, the teams were startling similar statistically. McGill and Acadia shot 46.3% and 43.1% from the field, respectively, and 45.2% and 43.8% of their points came from inside the paint.
The difference for McGill was in their playmaking, as they finished with just over twice as many assists as the Axemen. Their bench, largely sparked by Daoust's 18 points, was huge all game for the Redmen as they outscored the Axemen 37-22.
With the win, the Redmen will face the Dalhousie Tigers in the second semifinal Saturday night at 8:00pm, while the Axemen will face the Mount Saint Vincent Mystics at 3:00pm.
Game 4: Dal vs MSVU
The Tigers cruised to an easy 89-38 victory over the Mount Saint Vincent Mystics Friday night at the Dalplex. It was a good chance for Rick Plato to try different combinations and play his entire bench as they out-powered and outmuscled the Mystics. The Tigers reserves made the most of their opportunity and registered 49 points on the night.
After opening the first quarter wth a 23-13 lead, the Mystics simply couldn't handle the Tigers stifling defense as they were limited to seven points on 16% shooting in the second quarter.
The second half saw more of the same as the Tigers continued to apply the pressure and smother the Mystics on defense. They never let up and showed why they're currently ranked first in the AUS with their stellar play.
The Mystics' Corey Hollett led all scorers with 17 points in the game and he added four boards in the loss. Jarred Reid had a team-high 16 points for the Tigers, while Sven Stammberger added 11 points and 11 rebounds on 5-6 shooting. Player of the game Sean Dodds had 11 points, including a deep three under heavy defensive coverage as the shot clock expired.
The Tigers will face the McGill Redmen in the semifinals tomorrow night at 8:00pm, while the loss means that the Mystics will face the Acadia Axemen tomorrow afternoon at 3:00pm.