X-Men knock off Capers, advance to AUS final

(Halifax, NS) – The AUS top seeded StFX X-Men defeated the Cape Breton Capers 92-77 in Subway AUS semi-final playoff action Saturday evening at the Halifax Metro Centre. With the win, the CIS ranked No. 6 X-Men advance to the AUS championship game tomorrow and also punch their ticket to next weekend’s CIS Final Eight national championship.

Subway Player of the Game Jeremy Dunn led the X-Men attack with 32 points and 10 rebounds, while AUS MVP Jimmy Dorsey replied with 17 points and nine rebounds for the Capers.

The game started off fairly even throughout the opening quarter as the two teams exchanged baskets. Dorset was cold in the three-point department for the Capers, shooting 0 for 3 as the X-Men opened up a six point lead late in the quarter. Dunn hit a three-pointer for the blue and white with just over 20 seconds left in the opening frame to give the X-Men a 23-19 advantage after 10 minutes of play. Dunn scored 12 of the X-Men’s opening 23 points.

Cape Breton guard Jamie Glasgow opened the second quarter with a three-point dish for the Capers as he tried to swing the momentum in their favor, however StFX was able to hang on to a 4-5 point lead throughout the majority of the quarter.

AUS first team all-star Terry Thomas connected on a three-pointer for the X-Men with just under three minutes to go in the first half, then teammate Tyrell Vernon connected on another three-point dish to give StFX a 42-31 lead as the X-Men began to pull away from the fourth seeded Capers.

The half-time score stood at 45-33 for StFX as Dunn scored 17 points in the opening half. The X-Men were able to hold league-leading scorer Jimmy Dorsey to eight points.

StFX held onto their ten point advantage for the opening two minutes of the third quarter then the Capers began to mount a comeback and pulled to within six points. Al Alilovic gave the Capers fans something to cheer about as his three-pointer late in the quarter pulled them to within five at 63-58.The third closed out with StFX up 66-60 over Cape Breton, despite being outscored 27-21.

The X-Men played well in the fourth and final frame, hanging onto their lead throughout the quarter as they outscored the Capers 26-17. Freshman Marquis Clayton played well for the X-Men down the stretch as he scored 17 points in the second half, including two key three-point buckets in the fourth quarter. StFX held on for the comfortable 92-77 victory.

Jeremy Dunn’s 32 points led all scorers in the game. Clayton scored 17 for StFX and also had a pair of steals as the X-Men shot 45.3% from field goal range. Terry Thomas had a double-double night for the X-Men with 16 points and 11 rebounds, along with three assists, two steals and a block.

Dorsey led the Capers with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Alilovic had a double-double evening with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Arild Geugjes and Julian Smith each scored 12 points apiece.

StFX advances to the Subway AUS championship game on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 pm at the Halifax Metro Centre. They await their opponent as the second seeded Acadia Axemen and sixth seeded Saint Mary’s Huskies meet in the second semi-final.