Memorial edges Huskies 72-70 in quarterfinal

(HALIFAX, N.S.) – Friday's second men's quarterfinal matchup of the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championship came down to the wire as the sixth-seeded Memorial Sea-Hawks defeated the No. 3-seeded Saint Mary's Huskies 72-70.

With just 2.6 seconds remaining in, a jump shot from Memorial's Davion Parnsalu (Ajax, Ont.) put the Sea-Hawks ahead, to earn the victory.

Parnsalu finished with five points on the night, adding seven rebounds, one assist, and a steal to earn Wilson's Security Defensive Player of the Game honours.

The Sea-Hawks took off to an early lead in the first quarter, going nine for 16 from the field (56.3%) to hold on for a 20-10 edge after the first 10 minutes.

The Huskies fought back hard in the second quarter, pulling within one of the Sea-Hawks with just over three minutes remaining in the second. The Huskies outscored the Sea-Hawks 23-13 in the frame, to tie things up at 33-33 at the half.

The third saw back-and-forth play with the squads switching leads throughout the quarter. With just a few seconds remaining on the clock, a three-pointer from Daniel Gordon (North York, Ont.) allowed the Sea-Hawks to pull ahead 52-48 heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

Gordon and Nathan Barker (Massey Drive, N.L.) combined for 37 of Memorial's 52 points throughout the first three quarters.

The Huskies pulled ahead in the fourth, but five unanswered points allowed the Sea-Hawks to tie things at 65-65 with just three minutes remaining.

An exhilarating final minute of play saw Osman Barrie (Ottawa, Ont.) put the Huskies ahead 70-68. After a back-and-forth final minute, Parnsalu sealed the deal for the Sea-Hawks to send Memorial to the semi-finals for the first time in 16 years.

Barker finished with 23 points on the night, adding 10 rebounds for the double-double to earn Subway Player of the Game honours. Memorial's Gordon finished with a game-high 24 points, adding seven rebounds.

Barrie finished with a team-high 16 points for the Huskies in the loss, adding five rebounds, while teammates Nico Brauner (Wiesbaden, Germany) and Nikita Kasongo (Montreal, Que.) both finished with 11 points apiece. 

The Sea-Hawks now move on to play the UNB Varsity Reds in Saturday evening's second semifinal matchup at 8:30 p.m. at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax.