X-Men drop close games at Ottawa tourney

A second-half rally fell short Sunday afternoon (Oct. 13) as the StFX X-Men dropped an 81-77 decision to the McGill Redmen at the Jack Donohue Tip-off, hosted by the University of Ottawa.

The X-Men trailed 46-31 at halftime.

Five players reached double figures for StFX, led by tournament all-star Jordan Clarke, with 16.

Jordan Tyrrell and Rodrigo Madera chipped in 13 apiece, while Alexander Arthur and Julius Antoine added 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Arthur led the X-Men with nine rebounds, while Tyrrell, Antoine and Madera had two steals apiece. Shane Coupland was the top assist maker with three.

Vincent Dufort and Thomas Lacy led McGill with 22 and 20 points, respectively.

Saturday, the X-Men lost 94-81 to the Ottawa GeeGees.

Again, five X-Men hit double digits in a balanced offensive attack, led by Madera, with 20 points, hitting nine out of 10 shots from the field.

Clarke added 19, while sophomore guard Tyrrell chipped in 13 points. Arthur and Walker contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Arthur led the blue and white with nine rebounds, along with three assists. Clarke and Tyrrell also added three assists apiece to lead the X-Men.

StFX held a 34-13 advantage in bench scoring.

Mike L'Africain led the GeeGees with 26, while Caleb Agada chipped in 17 points.

The X-Men opened the tournament Friday night (Oct. 11) with a 74-73 loss to the Queen's Gaels.

The blue and white were in the lead for most of the game, including 73-70 with 45 seconds remaining, but the Gaels scored the final four points for the victory.

Clarke led the X-Men with 16 points, while adding five rebounds, one assist and one steal.

First-year X-Man Antoine also hit double figures, with 12 points, leading the team in steals
with four. Madera collected eight points, 12 rebounds (a game high) and two blocked shots.

The X-Men, who led 42-37 at halftime, shot 39 per cent from the field, including only 29 per cent in the second half.

Greg Faulkner led the Gaels with 21 points.

The host Gee Gee's claimed tournament honors with a 3-0 record as they also posted wins over McGill (94-88 OT) and Queen's (88-70). McGill were second at 1-2, followed by Queen's (1-2) and StFX (0-3).

Joining Clarke on the tournament all-star team were Francois Bourque and Vincent Dufort from McGill, Queen's Roshane Roberts and Johnny Berhanemeskel from Ottawa. Mike L'Africain from the Gee Gee's was named tournament MVP. 

The X-Men, who have a shortened bench due to several injuries, will return to action this weekend, when they host the annual StFX Invitational at Oland Centre.

In the opening game Friday, Oct. 18, the defending conference champion Cape Breton University Capers will clash with the Saint Mary's Huskies at 6 p.m., while the X-Men will take the court against the Dalhousie Tigers at 8 p.m.

The losers on the first night will play in the consolation game at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, while the championship tilt is scheduled for 8 p.m.

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