Capers hand CIS No. 2 X-Men 1st loss of season

The CIS ranked No. 2 StFX X-Men’s unbeaten streak has come to an end. The No. 4 Cape Breton Capers defeated the X-Men 85-82 in a close game played in front of a packed Sullivan Fieldhouse in Sydney on Wednesday night. 

The Capers held the edge over the X-Men throughout the game up until the fourth quarter where they survived a comeback from the blue and white to hang onto the victory, much to the delight of the boisterous and enthusiastic Caper fans.

Both teams started the game with a sluggish start with no points scored in the opening two and a half minutes of play. The Capers jumped out to an early 6-0 lead and held the six point margin for most of the opening quarter. The teams exchanged three-point jumpers as Paris Carter and Jimmy Dorsey were hitting the dishes for the Capers and Jeremy Dunn and Chad Warren replied for the X-Men. Warren put the X-Men to within three points at 18-15 but Dorsey hit the perimeter shot at the buzzer to put the Capers up 23-15 after the first quarter.

Cape Breton quickly expanded their lead to 10 points early into the second frame. Both teams struggled at times to hit the mesh and the Capers held onto the lead through the first half. The X-Men would pull to within five points but no closer as Cape Breton held a 43-36 lead at half-time.

The X-Men again pulled to within five points in the third quarter but the Capers held the slight edge. Jeremy Dunn sunk a three pointer late in the quarter to get the X-Men to within three points at 52-49, but Jimmy Dorsey replied with his own three-point bucket for the Capers to once again extend their lead. The hometown Capers posted a 61-54 advantage after three quarters of play.

The X-Men found some life in the fourth quarter and went on an early run, followed by consecutive three-pointers from Will Silver, Charlie Spurr and T-Bear Upshaw to give the blue and white their first lead of the game. Their best lead was 69-63 with four minutes left to play.

Carter got the Capers back into the game with his third three-point dish on the night, and then sunk three free throws after being fouled on an outside attempt, and the Capers clawed their way back into the lead. Cape Breton held a four-point edge with two minutes left to play and a six-point lead with just over a minute left. The X-Men didn’t give up and kept fighting back, making key baskets down the stretch, as Spurr, Silver and Upshaw all scored three pointers, pulling them closer. Without possession, the X-Men were forced to foul and the Capers capitalized on their free throws.

Unfortunately the clock ran out for the X-Men and the Capers held on to earn a big four point win and the notoriety of handing the X-Men their first and only loss of the season.

Paris Carter earned Player of the Game honors for the Capers as he scored 21 points and also had 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Jimmy Dorsey scored 19 points and had 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals. Phillip Nkrumah tallied 11 points and 7 rebounds.

Jeremy Dunn was the StFX Player of the Game as he scored 20 points, including 4 for 7 from three point range. He also pulled in 6 rebounds. T-Bear Upshaw scored 21 points for the X-Men and had 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. Will Silver scored 10 points and had 8 assists while Charlie Spurr and Terrance Taylor each contributed 8 points a piece.

With the four-point win, the Capers improve to 17-1 atop the AUS conference with 48 points, eight better then the second place X-Men who now hold a 15-1 record, as the Capers have a pair of games in hand to date.

Cape Breton has the upcoming weekend off and will wait until next Friday, Feb. 26th for their next game where they will again meet the StFX X-Men, this time in Antigonish at the StFX Oland Centre. The X-Men will host a pair of matches in between that time as they play the seventh place Memorial Seahawks (2-14) on Saturday night at 8:00 pm and Sunday afternoon at 3:00. 

StFX Sports Information