Diggs, Maerz lead Huskies to comeback win over Axemen

HALIFAX, NS – Saint Mary's guards Jayrell Diggs and Jonas Maerz combined for 37 points, as the Huskies came back from a seven point fourth quarter deficit to defeat the Acadia Axemen 69-63 on Thursday night at the Homburg Centre in Halifax.

It was the Axemen who would get off to a hot start early, as forward Thomas MacDonald (Rothesay, NB) and guard Glen Cox (Scotsburn, NS) each scored four early points and the visitors took a quick 10-2 lead in the opening three minutes of play.

The Huskies offence was struggling early, but guard Jonas Maerz broke the levee open with back-to-back three-pointers to cut the Acadia lead to 15-12. Saint Mary's bench then gave them a boost as guard Devawn White (Montreal, QC) and forward Jonah Crowther (Dartmouth, NS) scored back-to-back hoops off the bench to finish off a 7-0 Huskies run and give them a 16-15 lead heading into the second quarter.

In the second quarter, Axemen first year guard Mohamed Hendy (Alexandria, Egypt) restored the visitors lead with four straight points, while guard Gabe Davignon (Whites Lake, NS) scored five off the bench. The Axemen were red-hot in the second quarter, shooting 64% from the field and 7/10 from the line, on their way to 23 second quarter points, led by seven from Glen Cox.

Despite the Huskies offensive struggles, they were able to hang around thanks to the long-ball as four different Huskies (Diggs, Maerz, Crowther and White) would hit from three, and the Axemen took a 38-35 lead into the half.

Cox led all scorers with 11 at the break, while Maerz led the Huskies with 10. Free-throw shooting was a major difference maker through the first half, as the Axemen shot 7/10 from the charity stripe, while the Huskies could only convert 5/17 attempts.

The third quarter saw the Cox and Maerz battle continue – Cox scored four of the Axemen's first six points of the frame, while Maerz scored seven of the Huskies first nine, and his fast-break lay-in tied the game at 44-44 with 6:36 to play in the third. Huskies guard Marc-Denault Gabriel (Montreal, QC) continued his energetic play, chipping in three points, five rebounds and two steals in the third quarter alone.

But the Huskies couldn't slow down Cox, as he poured in 10 points on perfect 4/4 shooting from the field, and Acadia took a 56-47 lead into the fourth quarter.

Entering the fourth quarter, Huskies guard Jayrell Diggs (East Preston, NS) – the team's leading returning scorer – had been held to just seven points on the evening, but that would soon change. Diggs hit a pair of free-throws, then splashed in a deep three, gathered the rebound and assisted a Crowther lay-in, sparking a 7-0 run to cut the Axemen lead to 56-54.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

Jayrell Diggs with a deep three and a nice assist to Jonah Crowther, part of the Huskies 22-7 fourth quarter run as they came back and defeated the Acadia Axemen 69-63! pic.twitter.com/bypmTEnMaH

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) October 27, 2023

Hendy responded with a lay-up to restore their four point lead, but the Huskies defence locked down, holding the Axemen to just seven fourth quarter points, and Diggs hit a fading jumper, assisted teammate Devawn White's lay-up and nailed six straight clutch free-throws, to secure the 69-63 Huskies comeback win.

Diggs was named Player of the Game after scoring 13 of his team-high 20 points in the fourth quarter. Maerz chipped in 17 points, including 4/5 shooting from beyond the arc, while Gabriel stuffed the stat-sheet on his way to nine points, 15 rebounds and three steals.

The Axemen were paced by Glen Cox, who scored 26 points and added five rebounds, while forward Thomas MacDonald scored seven points and added nine rebounds.

The Huskies and Axewomen will meet again on Saturday night in Wolfville, NS, with tip-off scheduled for 8 p.m. ADT.

Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
Photos by Eduardo Ibarra / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics