X-Men playoff hopes dwindle with loss to Tigers

Antigonish, NS - The Dalhousie Tigers defeated the StFX X-Men 84-70 in AUS basketball action Tuesday night.

Subway player of the game Kashrell Lawrence (Brampton, ON), with 32 points, led the Tigers to the road victory in front of more than 500 fans at Oland Centre.

The junior forward completed a double-double with 11 rebounds, while adding four assists and two steals.

In a see-saw opening half, which the X-Men led by as many as seven points, the Tigers took a 42-41 advantage to the locker room on the strength of a buzzer-beating three-pointer from freshman Cedric Sanogo (Montreal, QC), who scored 13 points off the bench.

Third quarter scoring was close with the Tigers holding a 61-58 lead after 30 minutes.

Dalhousie outscored StFX 23-12 in the final frame to pull away and seal the victory.

Sean Dodds (Ottawa, ON), with 11, also hit double figures for the Tigers, while Sven Stammberger (Halifax, NS) and Ritchie Kanza Mata (Toronto, ON) notched nine points apiece. Kanza Mata scored eight straight late in the fourth quarter to help lead Dalhousie to the win.

Sophomores Julius Antoine (Woodbridge, ON) and Cameron Walker (Dallas, TX) led the X-Men with 19 points apiece, while Davonte Provo (East Preston, NS) also hit double digits with 11.

Antoine also chipped in seven rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Walker corralled a team-high nine boards, including five on the offensive glass.

Jameel Williamson (Pickering, ON) led StFX with six assists, while contributing eight points, three rebounds and two steals.

The Tigers outrebounded the X-Men 30 to 29, while Dalhousie committed 16 turnovers compared to 20 for StFX.

Dalhousie hit nine three-point shots, while StFX garnered three baskets from beyond the arc. 

With the victory, the Tigers improve to 9-8, while the X-Men fall to 4-13.

The X-Men are back on the court Friday, Feb. 13 when the UNB Varsity Reds visit Oland Centre.

The Tigers return to action Saturday, Feb. 14, when they host the Varsity Reds at Dalplex in Halifax. Tip-off for both games is 8 p.m.

Photo credit Erica Roberts