Huskies top Varsity Reds 98-84 in exhibition play

(FREDERICTON, NB) The Saint Mary's Huskies scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat the UNB Varsity Reds 98-84, in exhibition play Friday night.

The game was the first for both teams at UNB's annual Eric Garland Tournament.

Korderio James(Woodbridge, ON) scored a game high 26 points to lead the Huskies, while newcomer Hess Mayele(Montreal, QC) dropped 19 for the Varsity Reds.

"We were sloppy," said Huskies head coach Jonah Taussig. "UNB probably feels the same way."

Varsity Reds head coach Brent Baker agreed.

"We know we're better than that, and we're going to be better than that," said Baker. "Lack of discipline on defence, we've got to work on, definitely. That part of our game was bad, we gave up 98 points, but we've got some good parts."

Another UNB newcomer, Jamaal Potopsingh(Brampton, ON) was part of the 'good' that Baker talked about. He scored 16 points in his Varsity Reds debut.

"We have a lot more athletic guys that can get up and down, so you've got to let the horses run a bit," said Baker.

"It was an exciting game," said Mayele. "I like to play at a fast pace, that's what my whole game is about."

Mayele and Potopsingh saw plenty of minutes, because UNB sat veterans, including defending CIS scoring champ Javon Masters(Kitchener, ON).

"With seven new guys, I didn't think we did that bad," said Baker. "It was going to be a big learning curve for a lot of these guys, so I'm not disappointed, I just don't like losing."

Happy with the win, Taussig sees room for improvement too.

"We can score, we've got a deep roster this year," he said. "We've got a couple of guys that can put the ball in the hoop on any given day. We'd like to be better defensively, but we're happy to get a win."

Up next for the Huskies, the University of Maine-Fort Kent Bengals, on Saturday.

The Varsity Reds tip off against the Bishop's University Gaiters.

RECAP AND PHOTOS BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics