Huskies defeat X-Men 72-62 for sixth straight win

ANTIGONISH, NS - Saint Mary's guard Marc-Denault Gabriel posted an 18 point, 18 rebound double-double, helping lead the Huskies to their sixth straight win, 72-62 over the U SPORTS #7 ranked STFX X-Men on Wednesday night at Coach K Court in Antigonish, NS.

The Huskies took the lead late in the fourth quarter to come away with the victory over an X-Men squad with a short bench. STFX were without several key starters due to injuries including Deon Ejim (Brampton, ON), Gatluak James (Windsor, ON), Antoine Vernon (Hamilton, ON) and Steven Levnaic (Hamilton, ON).

The teams traded baskets throughout the first quarter with the Huskies having a 19-16 edge after the opening 10 minutes. Marc-Denault Gabriel (Montreal, QC) knocked down eight points for the Huskies while Dondre Reddick (Antigonish, NS) replied with nine for the X-Men.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

Huskies bench making a big impact in the first quarter! Jonah Crowther hits a triple and Devawn White draws the charge! Huskies lead 18-16 after the first! Watch live: https://t.co/0gUwsEDSnk pic.twitter.com/YD4c6mij9r

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 25, 2024

The Huskies began to pull away four minutes into the second quarter. Shae Linton-Brown (Toronto, ON) drained a three-pointer to give them a 28-21 lead but STFX's Bennett Grumbach (Toronto, ON) replied with a three of his own. Matt Pennell (St. John's, NF) provided an offensive spark off the X bench late in the quarter and the X-Men were up by three, 43-40 at halftime.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

Shae Linton-Brown from wayyy downtown! X-Men lead 43-40 at the half. pic.twitter.com/D4mUIKxReS

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 25, 2024

Grumbach scored 12 points for the X-Men in the opening half, while Gabriel netted four points in the second quarter to lead the Huskies with 12 points at half.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

Marc-Denault Gabriel with the and-one finish! He's got 14 points and 10 rebounds already! X-Men lead 53-51 after three quarters. pic.twitter.com/1GvpaH4utt

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 25, 2024

A three-pointer by Huskies guard Jayrell Diggs (East Preston, NS) tied the game early in the third quarter. Offense sputtered for both squads and the game remained tied at 47 midway through the frame. In the low scoring quarter the Huskies had an 11-10 advantage but trailed the X-Men 53-51 after 30 minutes.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

Jayrell Diggs shows why he was @AUS_SUA Athlete of the Week! Splashes the three of Marc-Denault Gabriel's steal to put the Huskies ahead 58-57! pic.twitter.com/cu1iSXABDo

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 25, 2024

The score remained close in the fourth quarter. Diggs was key from beyond the arc, draining a couple of timely threes, then a steal and basket by Brown gave the Huskies a 63-57 lead with four minutes to play. The Huskies continued to gain momentum and a pair of jumpers from Devawn White (Montreal, QC) off the SMU bench gave them a 67-62 lead with just under two minutes to play.

HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��

THE HUSKIES ARE THE HOTTEST TEAM IN THE COUNTRY!

Shae Linton-Brown hits the dagger 3 as the Huskies defeat @USPORTSca #7 ranked STFX on their own court 72-62 for their sixth straight win! pic.twitter.com/ogLTCxOII3

— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) January 25, 2024

STFX ran out of steam down the stretch and the Huskies held on for the win.

Player of the game Gabriel finished with a double-double night scoring 18 and pulling down a game-high 18 rebounds. Diggs had 17 points and contributed four assists, while Brown scored 16 and had 10 rebounds and five steals in the win.

Reddick had a double-double night for the X-Men, scoring 18 points and hauling in 10 rebounds. Grumbach scored 14 points and both Upshaw and Jeremiah Usiosefe (Hamilton, ON) had 10, with Usiosefe also nabbing 13 rebounds.

The Huskies sixth straight win improves their record to 8-6 on the season. Saint Mary's is back in action Saturday night when they host UPEI in an 8:00 pm game.

The X-Men loss drops their record to 9-5 on the campaign. STFX will travel to Sydney Friday night to play Cape Breton, also at 8:00 pm.

Recap courtesy Krista McKenna, STFX Athletics
Photos courtesy Bryan Kennedy, STFX Athletics