(HALIFAX, N.S.) In a game with five lead changes in the fourth quarter, it was the Memorial Sea-Hawks (5th seed) who came out on top with a 95-89 win over the Saint Mary’s Huskies (4th seed).
Both teams finished the regular season with 22 points and put on an entertaining show at the Scotiabank Centre in the 2022 Subway AUS Basketball Men’s Championship quarter-final.
Fifth-year forward and first team all-star Cole Long (St. John’s, Nfld.) sank the first basket of the game for the Sea-Hawks, his first of 20 points in the win.
SMU found early success from the field, going nine for 14 (64.3%) in the first quarter, but it was the Sea-Hawks who held a narrow three-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
Subway player of the game Boris Ristanovic (Kragujevac, Serbia) led the way early with 10 points as the quarter finished 26-23. The third-year point guard finished the game with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Neither team showed interest in falling behind, with both the Huskies and Sea-Hawks exchanging chances and putting numbers on the board until second team all-star Nikita Kasongo (Montreal, Que.) made his presence known late in the half. The fourth-year guard had 11 points punctuated by a steal and slam dunk as his Huskies built a 48-43 lead at halftime.
All-rookie team guard Flynn Boardman-Raffet (London, UK) showed prowess on both sides of the ball with six rebounds, seven points and two steals in the first half for the Sea-Hawks.
Memorial came out of the dressing room with energy, starting the half with six unanswered points to level the score 50-50.
The Huskies had a balanced attack as it slowly gained a lead, including a jump shot by all-rookie team member Jayrell Diggs (East Preston, N.S.).
A slam dunk by MUN’s Cole Long was enough to prompt SMU coach Jonah Taussig, now in his 10th season, to call a timeout in the third quarter. The Huskies went into the final quarter up 71-66.
Sea-Hawks guard Jason Thompson (St. John’s, Nfld.) made it a one-point game with a lay up before Boardman-Raffet gave MUN a lead with three successful free throws.
Both teams continued to take turns with the lead down the stretch of the fourth quarter, with the lead changing hands five times before the Sea-Hawks went on a six-point run, with a Cole three-pointer giving MUN an 11-point lead.
The Huskies, who went with a seven-man rotation, were led by SMU player of the game Johneil Johnson (East Preston, N.S.). The fourth-year guard finished with 21 points and five rebounds.
Memorial plays Dalhousie on Saturday, March 19 at 3 p.m. in the first men’s semifinal of the weekend. The defending AUS champions won 86-69 over Acadia on Thursday night.
Watch every game of the 2022 Subway AUS Basketball Championships on AUStv.ca.
Recap by Jonathan Briggins