Written by Thomas Scott
From 3-pointers to dimes, the Dalhousie Tigers made history this season in a remarkable AUS title run.
Two Tigers climbed the AUS record books when Dal clinched the second seed in a 100-79 victory over the StFX X-Men at Dalplex on February 16.
The first record breaker is AUS MVP Malcolm Christie, breaking the AUS 3-point record for most 3-pointers made in a season. The third-year commerce major made eight shots from behind the arc against the X-Men in the regular season’s last game, finishing with 32 points.
“Constant work in the off-season and during the season has helped propel me and the team to where we are,” says Christie. “I’ve been surrounded by the right people here at Dal.”
With 4:48 left of the first quarter against StFX, Christie hit his 72nd 3-pointer of the season, breaking the AUS record by passing Jeff Saxby of the Memorial Sea-Hawks. Saxby scored 71 3-pointers in the 2001-02 season.
Finishing the season with 79 3-pointers, Christie also climbed the national ladder, making the eighth-most 3-pointers in a single season in U SPORTS history.
“He's not afraid to shoot. I’ll put it that way,” says head coach Rick Plato.
Weeks later, Christie took home conference MVP honours ahead of the AUS Championship weekend. Christie joins Keevan Veinot as the second-ever AUS men’s basketball MVP in Dal history. He averaged 22.1 points per game this season, the fourth-most in the nation, and led U SPORTS in 3-pointers made.
The six-foot-five guard is not the first in his family to win the award. His mother, Laura Swift Christie, won the AUS MVP in 1994 with the UNB Reds.
“It's amazing to be able to share that with my mom,” says Christie. “Winning the AUS title makes it all so much better, but it was a special feeling when I found out I won the award.”
All season, Christie has shown his ability to heat up quickly. On November 25, Christie scored 51 points on 26 shots against the UNB Reds at Dalplex. The Fredericton, N.B., native’s 51 points went down as the fourth-highest-scoring game in conference history.
“Malcolm's ability to dial in is special,” says teammate Sam Maillet. “I had no doubt in my mind that he was the MVP.”
Maillet making history
Maillet also made history this season. The Moncton, N.B., native’s total of 132 assists is tied for 11th most in a season in AUS history. The 2021-22 AUS Defensive Player of the Year also averaged the second most assists per game in the nation with 6.6.
On January 27 at Dalplex in a 97-91 victory over the Memorial Sea-Hawks, Maillet tallied a season-high 13 assists, turning the ball over just once. Maillet is a force all around the court. Through 20 games, he averaged 8.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in addition to his playmaking and defensive prowess.
“He’s been our X Factor. He’s the motor of this team,” says Christie. “Sam does a great job of finding me and his teammates at the right place and time. He makes my life a lot easier.”
“It doesn't surprise me that he's also climbing the record books,” he says.
A New Brunswick connection
The connection the two New Brunswick natives have on the court is top-notch. The chemistry between the pair has been hard worked for. The two have spent extra time outside practice working on certain passes and plays that have been displayed all season.
“I know what spots to find him in, and he knows when to move,” says Maillet. “His work ethic is special. He prepares better than anybody I know.”
The duo has been effective all season, helping propel the Tigers to an AUS title. Maillet constantly finds Christie moving off the ball and in transition.
“They read each other's minds,” says Plato.
The basketball community in New Brunswick is tight, and when Maillet was in Grade 7, his basketball coach told him to watch out for Christie, a fifth grader at the time.
His coach was right. Playing one another in high school, the fourth-year sustainability major saw the basketball player Christie was shaping up to be.
“I let Plato know about him. I said we have to get this guy,” says Maillet.
Now on the same team, Christie and Maillet have become great friends and roommates.
“It's been really special,” says Maillet. “He’s someone I’ll call a brother for life. My time at Dal would not have been the same without him.”
Champions
It all came together when the Tigers won the AUS title against the defending champion StFX X-Men on February 25. Maillet was outstanding in the final, scoring 19 points and missing just one field goal in the 77-67 overtime victory.
“It feels amazing to get back to a championship,” says Maillet.
“I always try to make things happen for this team. In the fourth quarter and overtime, it just so happened that me making things happen was being able to score and knock down a few shots and make some plays happen. Things worked out,” says the six-foot-seven guard.
Christie won tournament MVP, averaging 24 points per game over the championship weekend.
“I think the only people that really believed we could win the championship was ourselves,” says Christie.
The Tigers head to Laval, Que., for the U SPORTS Final 8, hosted by the Laval Rouge et Or from March 8-10, looking to bring Dal a national title.
“We'll be heading into nationals well prepared and hopefully ready to make some noise,” says Maillet.