X-Men hoopsters to compete at DAL tourney

19th Annual Rod Shoveller Memorial Men's Basketball Tournament slated for this weekend
Courtesy Dalhousie Sports Information

(Halifax, NS) - The Dalhousie Tigers men's basketball team will take to the floor during the holiday break as they host the nineteenth annual Rod Shoveller Memorial men's basketball tournament January 1-3, 2010. This annual event features basketball talent from across Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), including four teams from last year's CIS Final 8 tournament. Representing Atlantic University Sport (AUS) will be Saint Mary's University, St. Francis Xavier University (CIS ranked #3), Acadia University and host Dalhousie University (CIS ranked #9). Non-conference teams include from OUA East, the University of Ottawa Gee Gees and Laurentian Voyageurs, the Laurier Golden Hawks from OUA West and the Concordia Stingers from the Quebec conference.

Christian Upshaw, a fourth-year guard from Halifax, leads the X-Men with 23.4 points per game, good for second place in CIS scoring standings. The X-Men lead the AUS conference with a perfect 5-0 record.

The Huskies also have a player in the CIS top five scorers. Joey Haywood, a third-year guard, is averaging 22.7 points per game, leading his team to a three-way tie for second place in AUS standings in the first half of the season.

The Axemen are also in that three-way tie for second in AUS standings and are led by Halifax native Casey Fox, a second-year guard, who is averaging 15.8 points per game.

Ottawa is on a four-game winning streak and are just two points out of first place in the OUA East standings. Second-year guard Warren Ward is leading his team, averaging 18.38 points per game.

Isiah Pasquale, a second-year guard with Laurentian, is pacing his team with 15.5 points per game. The Voyageurs are in sixth place in OUA East standings.

Laurier is tied for sixth in OUA West standings and has won their last two games including an 83-55 win over the Voyageurs. Fifth-year guard Jesse MacDonald is leading the Golden Hawks with 15.88 points per game.

Concordia is tied for third in the Quebec league after six games. Decee Krah, a third-year guard, is leading the Stingers with 13.3 points per game.

Dalhousie is in the middle of the pack in AUS standings after starting the season with a 3-3 record. Simon Farine, a fourth-year guard is leading the Tigers in assists and is averaging 20.2 points per game.

"The Shoveller is an excellent event for our program as well as for CIS basketball in Halifax," says Dalhousie Tigers head coach John Campbell. "It is exciting to be able to host an event with four strong AUS teams as well as four teams from other regional associations. The support of the corporate community has been a crucial factor in being able to run the only eight-team men's basketball tournament in the CIS in Metro this year. I believe this tournament will provide perfect preparation for the difficult AUS season."

Quarter-final games, Saturday's evening semifinal games and Sunday's bronze medal and championship games will be available via webcast through www.ssncanada.ca/games.

Tournament schedule, results and ticket information is available online at www.athletics.dal.ca/shoveller.


Tournament Schedule:

Friday, January 1
Acadia vs. Ottawa, 1pm, Webcast 
StFX vs. Laurier, 3pm, Webcast  
SMU vs. Concordia, 6pm, Webcast 
DAL vs. Laurentian, 8pm, Webcast 

Saturday, January 2
Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 1pm 
Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 3pm 
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 6pm, Webcast  
Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 8pm, Webcast  

Sunday, January 3
Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 9am
Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 11am
Bronze medal: Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8, 1pm, Webcast
Championship: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 3pm, Webcast