Capers defeat Huskies 98-70 despite 25 points from Diggs

SYDNEY, NS – Sparked by a 60-point second half, the hometown Cape Breton University (CBU) Capers (3-1) thumped the Saint Mary's Huskies (1-3) 98-70 in Atlantic University Sport (AUS) men's basketball action Saturday night at Sullivan Fieldhouse.

Junior forward Tyson Cato (Hamilton, ON) – the Chartwells player of the game – led six Capers in double figures, with 16 points, while adding five rebounds.

Keyed by a three-pointer from Jonas Maerz (Rosenheim, Germany) – his first of four baskets from downtown in the opening half – and a nifty jump hook from Jackson Enyinna (Port Harcourt, Nigeria), the visitors took an early 9-2 edge in the first quarter.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

Jackson Enyinna with a nice hook shot to give the Huskies an early 9-2 lead! @smumensbball pic.twitter.com/nnN83Ur4YA

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) November 4, 2023

After a smooth base line floater from Stefan Anisko (Caledonia, ON), the Capers trailed 9-6 in a low-scoring first 10 minutes of action.

The Huskies – keyed by five consecutive points from Maerz – stretched their lead to 17-8.

Saint Mary's led 19-13 after the first quarter.

Early in the second stanza, Jayrell Diggs (East Preston, NS) drained a deep three-pointer to restore the Huskies' nine-point edge, at 22-13.

Sparked by the playmaking of Justus Peuser (Geisenheim, Germany) and back-to-back hoops from Mitchell Mersereau (Sydney, NS), the Capers trimmed the deficit to two points on a couple of occasions.

After another Maerz hoop from beyond the arc, the Huskies led 29-24.

With three minutes remaining until halftime, Aaron Cunningham (Orangeville, ON) nailed a step-back three-pointer to give the Capers a 33-32 edge – their first lead of the game.

CBU finished on an 8-2 spurt to take a 38-34 lead to the locker room.

The Capers shot 48 per cent from the field, compared to 31 for the Huskies in the first half.

Early in the third quarter, on the strength of a Shakael Pryce (Ajax, ON) three-pointer and an acrobatic tap in of his own miss by Cato, followed by a shot from downtown, the Capers extended their lead to double digits – at 54-41.

Jamal Cadore (Toronto, ON), later in the third, brought the crowd to its feet with a three-pointer – to make it 60-49 for the Capers – followed by a blocked shot.

Diggs, who scored a game-high 25 points, including six hoops from beyond the arc, tried his best to keep the Huskies within striking distance. He canned one of his three-pointers at the buzzer to trim the CBU lead to 63-54 heading to the fourth quarter.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

Jayrell Diggs hits a step-back three to end the third quarter, with the Huskies trailing 63-54. @smumensbball pic.twitter.com/hI5Inmtwzq

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) November 5, 2023

An 8-0 run to tip off the final stanza, including seven consecutive points by Pryce, stretched the Caper advantage to 71-54, and the home side never looked back in securing the win.

Joining Cato in double figures were Mersereau and Pryce, with 15 points apiece, Peuser (14), along with Cunningham and Anisko – both off the bench – with 11 each.

Pryce finished with nine rebounds, while Peuser dished out eight assists.

For the Huskies, Diggs added four steals, while Maerz and TJ Lademacher (Luneburg, Germany) finished with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Enyinna chipped in seven points, a game-high 10 rebounds and three assists.

The Huskies will return to the court Wednesday, Nov. 8, when they visit the cross-city Dalhousie Tigers at Dalplex in Halifax, while the Capers will travel to Wolfville in the Annapolis Valley to face the Acadia Axewomen Friday, Nov. 10.

Tip-off for both match-ups is 8 p.m. AST.

Photos by Vaughan Merchant / CBU Capers Athletics