Huskies top Laval 83-60 in exhibition

FREDERICTON, NB - The Saint Mary's University Huskies men's basketball team toppled the Université de Laval Rouge et Or 83-60 in the first men's game of the Helen Campbell and Eric Garland Tournament at the Richard J. Currie center Friday night.

Marquis Clayton (Halifax, NS) was the game's leading scorer with 24 points and four three pointers. Both teams finished with 28 rebounds but it was St. Mary's with fewer turnovers (17) and a game high 66 per cent from the three point line in the second half.

Laval came right out of the gate attacking the paint, but SMU, were able to neck and neck with there opponents until mid way through the first quarter when St. Mary's began to pull away.

The Huskies relied on their shooting, and perimeter range. They protected the paint well against Laval, forcing 14 turnovers in the first half.

Marquis Clayton put up some big numbers in the first half, shooting 50 per cent from beyond the arc, and collecting 18 points.

Not long after halftime, the Huskies pulled away, adding a number of shots from three-point range. Their ability to clog the lane, limited Laval to many points in the paint, forcing them outside where they struggles for the majority of the game. 

The huskies led by as much as 30 in the forth quarter, while shooting 50 per cent as a team from the field. The Huskies were not only successful outside the perimeter but in the paint as well, racking up 28 points in the paint after three and half quarters. 

St. Mary's cruised to a 83-60 win over the Rouge et Or and took their first game of the tournament with ease.

"At times I thought we looked pretty good but at times we looked pretty sluggish," said Huskies head coach Jonah Taussig.

"It was our first game of the year, our first time playing against different competition besides us in practice, so we were pretty sloppy, lots of things to work on but still happy to get the win."

Both teams will play two more games this weekend, before heading back for the approaching regular season.

Source UNB Communications