Huskies ride strong second half to 79-60 win over REDS
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
UNB (2-7, 2-7) | 15 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 60 |
|
Saint Mary's (4-4, 4-4) | 12 | 16 | 28 | 23 | 79 |
HALIFAX, NS – Saint Mary's guard Jasha'jaun Downey hit five three-pointers on his way to a game-high 24 points, as the Huskies defeated the UNB REDS 79-60 in Atlantic University Sport men's basketball action on Saturday night at the Homburg Centre.
Saint Mary's began the game with continued dominance from forward Eliel Nsoseme (Kinshasa, DRC) who scored the first four points of the night, but the REDS responded with back-to-back threes from guards Eden Otshudi (Hamilton, ON) and Marcus Barnes (Kitchener, ON), opening up an 8-7 lead. Huskies guard Jayrell Diggs (East Preston, NS) answered with a circus lay-in, but the REDS took a 15-12 lead after 10 minutes of play.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) November 24, 2024
Jayrell Diggs with the acrobatic finish! Reds lead the Huskies 15-12 after the first quarter. pic.twitter.com/YipXaOCQ5D
In the opening moments of the second quarter, REDS forward Anthony Sears (Antigonish, NS) extended their lead to 17-12 with a jump-shot, but Huskies guard Jasha'jaun Downey (North Preston, NS) answered with three of his seven second quarter points. Another Otshudi three extended the REDS lead to 24-19, but three straight makes from Nsoseme and Downey gave the Huskies a 25-24 lead. The back-and-forth battles continued, and the REDS took a slim 29-28 lead into halftime.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) November 24, 2024
Eliel Nsoseme with the tough and-one finish and the dap for Kurt! Reds lead 29-28 at the half. pic.twitter.com/yrd4R8ljKi
The third quarter saw the Huskies offence explode, as they matched the 28 points they scored in the first half. A dunk from REDS forward Javordo Mitchell (Woodbridge, ON) put the REDS ahead 38-34, but the Huskies went on an 11-0 run, including six points from Downey on another three and a three-point play, giving the Huskies a 45-38 lead.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) November 24, 2024
Back-to-back threes from Jasha'jaun Downey and Jayrell Diggs as the Huskies open up a 45-38 lead! pic.twitter.com/6ZUrxBW7Bl
The REDS into the deficit briefly, but the Huskies were on fire, with Downey hitting another three before Diggs found forward Jonah Crowther (Dartmouth, NS) for a corner three, and the Huskies took a 56-45 lead into the final quarter.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) November 24, 2024
Jonah Crowther hits the corner three off the feed from Jayrell Diggs! Huskies lead 56-45 after three quarters! pic.twitter.com/wiWlyR6tTZ
In the fourth quarter, Otshudi paced the REDS with a pair of three-pointers, but the Huskies never let their lead dwindle lower than eight points, with great interior play from Nsoseme and hustle plays from guard Marc-Denault Gabriel (Montreal, QC). The Huskies 11th three-pointer of the night, courtesy of guard Tjark Lademacher (Luneburg, Germany) was the punctuation on their 79-60 win.
HUSKIES HIGHLIGHTS ��
— Saint Mary's Huskies (@SMUHuskies) November 24, 2024
Eliel Nsoseme with a tough post move and TJ Lademacher hits the corner three to seal the Huskies 79-60 win! pic.twitter.com/pOSda2MwDG
Jasha'jaun Downey was named Player of the Game, scoring 14 of his game-high 24 points after half-time and adding two rebounds and two assists. The Huskies also received outstanding contributions from guard Jayrell Diggs with 18 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals, and forward Eliel Nsoseme with 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals, while Marc-Denault Gabriel chipped in an 11-point, 16-rebound double-double.
The REDS were led by guards Eden Otshudi and Marcus Barnes who scored 14 and 13 points respectively.
The Huskies win improves their record to 3-4 on the season. Saint Mary's will be back on home court on Wednesday, Nov. 27, as they host the STFX X-Men (6-1) at 8 p.m. at the Homburg Centre. GET TICKETS
The REDS loss drops their record to 2-6 on the campaign. UNB will return to home court next Friday, Nov. 29, hosting the UPEI Panthers (4-4) at 8 p.m.
Recap by Allan April / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
Photos by Eduardo Ibarra / Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics
