Huskies winning streak snapped by REDS in 91-83 overtime loss

FREDERICTON, N.B. – Ibrahima Doumbouya (Calgary, AB) had 25 points and 22 rebounds to lead the UNB REDS to a gutsy 91-83 overtime win against the Saint Mary's Huskies, on Friday night in Fredericton. 

The Huskies came into the game on a four game winning streak and with an 9-5 record on the regular season, while the REDS came in with a 5-8 record after having lost their last four games.

The Huskies would control the opening five minutes for an early 9-5 lead. The REDS would answer in the back half of the first quarter to tie it at 11-11 and 13-13, trailing only 17-13 after the opening frame.

SMU would open a six-point gap, going up 21-15 in the first three minutes of the second quarter. UNB then pushed back in a big way, dropping 12 straight points to go up 27-21 and carried that momentum through the rest of the quarter for a 38-31 halftime lead. 

The Huskies were led in the first half by Jace Colley (East Preston, NS) with 11 points, and Shae Linton-Brown (Toronto, ON) with eight points, while the REDS were led by Thomas LeGallais with eight points and Doumbouya with seven.

The REDS stayed hungry through the third quarter, building a double-digit lead, but Nikita Kasongo (Montreal, QC) put up 14 points in the fourth quarter alone to keep the Huskies within striking distance, and they trailed the home team 58-47 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Huskies would come out aggressive in the fourth, cutting UNB's lead to five, 63-58, just three minutes in. With just over three minutes left, Jayrell Diggs (East Preston, NS) hit a trio of free throws to tie the game 70-70. Linton-Brown hit a free throw of his own and Kasongo would follow with a bucket and one to make it 74-70 with just 2:07 left. 

With 1:50 to go, Chris Spurrell (Quispamsis, NB) hit a three-point jumper to bring the REDS within one, 74-73, and Norm Burry (Grafton, NB) powered through multiple Huskies for a lay-up to put the Reds ahead 75-74. Kasongo drew a foul on Doumbouya with 32 seconds left and hit another two free-throws to make it 76-75 SMU, to which Reese Zorogole (Halifax, NS) answered immediately with a lay-up on the following possession to make it 76-75 REDS with 24.7 to play. 

Off the ensuing inbound, Linton-Brown drew an offensive foul, sending the Huskies back to the free throw line where he hit one of two to tie the game 77-77 and force overtime. The Huskies outscored the REDS 30-19 in the fourth quarter to send the game to an extra period.

In the extra frame, Zorogole would hit another clutch layup with two and a half minutes left to put the REDS up 82-79. Linton-Brown and Doumbouya would trade pairs of free throws before Doumbouya gathered the offensive board off the ensuing Huskies possession, worked the ball to Spurrell at the top of the arc who hit another huge three-point shot to put UNB ahead 87-81 with 57.1 second left in overtime. The REDS would not look back, hitting their free throws down the stretch to secure the win, with a final score of 91-83.

Doumbouya's 25 point, 22 rebound double-double earned him Subway Player of the Game honours.

"This is my last year and I just want to give everything," Doumbouya said post-game. "Whether it's going hard to the boards to get rebounds as much as I can, boxing people out and just giving everything I can to help the team win, and that's what I did tonight."

"He played like an All-Canadian tonight," added REDS head coach Joe Salerno.

Thomas LeGallais (Cornwall, ON) was also impressive for UNB with 16 points and 10 rebounds while going a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line. 

Nikita Kasongo (Montreal, QC) had a game-high 31 points, all in the second half and overtime and went 9-for-12 on free throws while Shae Linton-Brown (Toronto, ON) added 22 points and went five-for-seven from the stripe.

The win snaps the REDS four-game losing streak and improves them to 6-8. The Huskies dropped to 9-6 with the loss.

Both teams meet again Saturday at UNB's Richard J. Currie Center, in the Atlantic University Sport regular season finale for both sides. Tip off is at 8 pm.

Recap by Jonathon James / UNB Athletics
Photos by James West / UNB Athletics