WOLFVILLE N.S. - The Acadia Axemen (0-2) looked to earn their first win of the season during their home opener against the StFX X-men at War Memorial Gymnasium (0-1) but fell short by one possession. The game would go down to the wire, but the X-men would come up on top with a 75-70 win. With the loss, Acadia falls to 0-3 after opening weekend losses to UNB.
StFX was first out of the gate, scoring 25 points in the opening frame and holding Acadia to just 15 points. The Axemen defense was a step behind their rotations and the X-men capitalized scoring on several open looks.
In the second, Acadia made the defensive adjustments and went on a 7-0 run to start the quarter. In his first home game since returning from injury last football season as a dual sport athletes, Sean Stoqua had eight of his 13 points in the first half and dished out four assists. Second year forward Kevin Bercy had 11 first half points for StFX and 16 on the night to go with ten rebounds.
Both teams were evenly matched in the third with Acadia holding onto a slim 61-57 advantage. However, neither team was able to pull away for long as three balls, layups and turnovers were all exchanged.
In the fourth, the X-Men led 68-65 with 1:30 minutes remaining. Axemen rookie guard Ben Miller hit the corner trey with 1:13 to go to tie the game. However, StFX guard Julius Antoine would be the difference maker in this game.
Antoine used his size to gain the advantage in his matchup with Stoqua scoring two buckets under the net and finishing the game with a trey with a second remaining on the shot clock.
Third year centre Rhys Larry was the difference-maker for the Axemen, recording 14 points to go with 17 rebounds and four steals to earn the Subway Player of the Game for Acadia.
Antoine would earn Subway Player of the Game honours for his efforts after netting 22 points, seven rebounds and four steals on the night. The X-men would go on to win 75-70.
Acadia and StFX will see each other again on Saturday as they head to Antigonish for a rematch. Acadia will then host Cape Breton and Dalhousie for their annual Shoot for the Cure weekend while StFX will head to New Brunswick for two games the following weekend.
Submitted by Ashley Hasler, Acadia Sports Information Office