Tigers grab 102-94 win over Sea-Hawks in OT

Game recap by: Kirk Jessome

(Halifax, NS) – Completing the two game mini-series of the weekend, the Dalhousie Tigers once again took on the Memorial Sea-Hawks at the Dalplex. In a high-scoring game that couldn't be solved through regulation, the Tigers came out on top, doubling up Memorial in the overtime frame and taking the 102-94 win.

Greg Manuel (Mineville, NS) picked up right where he left off last night, immediately becoming a presence in the paint for the Sea-Hawks and picking up eight points in the first five minutes of the quarter.

For the Tigers, Jordan Aquino-Serjue (Montreal, QC) was on fire from the field in the opening minutes, going 4-4 with one shot from deep to pick up nine points early.

The Tigers pushed the pace early, running the floor as soon as the ball was secured off the glass. The pace created gaps in the Sea-Hawks defence and Sven Stammberger (Halifax, NS) capitalized by knocking down two shots from beyond the arc.

Through one quarter, the Tigers jumped ahead to a 27-17 lead.

Stammberger was the hot hand for the Tigers in the second, picking up the first eight points of the quarter, six of them coming from deep.

Memorial continued to push the ball inside on the offensive end, resulting in layups and trips to the line. The inside game also opened up space on the perimeter for Daniel Gordon (North York, ON) to knock down open threes of his own.

The pace was electric throughout second quarter, with half-court sets giving way to a transition style of play whether it was off a score or a rebound.

The teams traded baskets late in the half, with the Tigers maintaining their lead. The teams headed into the break with the score at 54-44.

Both teams slowed the pace in the second half, settling into half-court sets.

Baskets were hard to come by in the third quarter as both teams went cold from the field.

Daniel Gordon carried the Sea-Hawks through the quarter getting inside and creating contact to get to the line. He picked up nine points in the quarter with six of them from the line.

Davion Parnsalu (Ajax, ON) completed a five point run on his own, finishing through contact in transition on back to back plays, and knocking down the free throw on one of the two drips.

The Tigers could only come up with 11 points in the quarter, and did not score in the final four minutes of the frame.

Heading into the fourth, the game was all tied up at 65-65.

The pace picked back up to start the fourth, and it worked well for Gordon as he was still carrying the load on the offensive end for the Sea-Hawks. He picked up seven quick points in the opening minutes, including his fifth shot from deep in the game.

The scoring from Gordon gave the Sea-Hawks their first lead since the opening minutes, and halfway through the quarter were up 76-71.

When the Tigers were able to get inside, their offense was working, but the Sea-Hawks clogged up the paint and outside shots weren't falling.

The Tigers continued to try and work the ball inside, with Alex Carson (Lower Sackville, NS) finishing a tough shot and getting to the line to complete the three-point play to tie the game for the Tigers.

After Gordon split his pair of free-throws, the game was tied at 84-84 with one minute to go. After a Tigers miss, Davion Parnsalu got into the paint and dropped a beautiful dish to Greg Manuel to put the Sea-Hawks up by two with 20 seconds left.

After a timeout, the Tigers came out working the ball around the perimeter, Xavier Ochu (Milton, ON) used a spin-move to get into the lane and his shot rolled around and around the rim and finally dropped in to tie it for the Tigers.

Memorial had the last possession of the quarter with seven seconds to go. The ball was given to Parnsalu who drove into the lane but couldn't get the shot to fall, and so the game went into overtime tied at 86 apiece.

Ochu continued to get inside for the Tigers in overtime and finish very difficult shots at the rim. On the other end, the Sea-Hawks were finding the contact, and finishing plays at the line.

Two big stops by the Tigers, followed by huge shots from Keevan Veinot (Port Williams, NS) and Aquino-Serju, the Tigers held a six-point lead with 40 seconds to go in the overtime frame.

The Sea-Hawks were forced to foul to stop the clock, and the Tigers put the game out of reach from the line. Time ran out on the Sea-Hawks and the Tigers came away with a 102-94 overtime win.

Daniel Gordon finished with an outstanding 35-point performance, including going 12-14 from the line. Jordan Aquino-Serju earned the Subway Player of the Game title in this one, ending with 23 points to go along with six assists.

The Tigers will be back in action on Friday when they take on UPEI in an important 4-point game. The next game for the Sea-Hawks will come on the 27^th when they host Acadia for a piair of games.