Varsity Reds hand X-Men 96-70 loss
The UNB Varsity Reds handed the StFX X-Men a 96-70 loss Saturday night in Fredericton.
(FREDERICTON, NB) - Matt Daley did it all, Saturday night. Daley scored 27 points, including five three-pointers in the third quarter, to lead the UNB Varsity Reds in their 96-70 win over the St. FX X-Men.
"Matt Daley, basically, put the team on his back in the third quarter and what carried us were the three point shots that he hit," said Varsity Reds head coach Brent Baker.
Daley's big night couldn't have come at a better time, as UNB's usual star, Javon Masters had an off night. Off night, relatively speaking.
Masters scored 19 points.
Daley was more than happy to step into the starring role.
"It takes a little pressure off of Javon, especially… but we're just waiting for all three of us to click at the same time, and then we'll be hard to stop."
Along with his 27 points, Daley chipped in 10 assists and 7 rebounds.
Despite the win, Baker wasn't completely satisfied.
"We weren't executing anything, we weren't running much," said Baker. "Javon wasn't having a great night, but we got through it."
The Varsity Reds attempted a whopping 41 three-point shots, hitting on just 16.
In comparison, X was 0-for-14.
"They outscored us 48-0 from three point range, and that was the game right there," said St. FX head coach Steve Konchalski.
"They took 41 threes, which is crazy, but they made 16 of them, which isn't crazy."
Konchalski feels his team executed two-thirds of their game plan, but missed on defending the outside shooting.
"When you're out-scored that much from the three point line, you don't have much of a chance."
Jesse Kendall scored 15 points for UNB, while Kaleefah Henry had 9, off the bench.
Julius Antoine led X with 21.
Kevin Bercy and Cameron Walker each had 10 rebounds for the X-Men, while Akil Charles came off the bench to score 10.
UNB is now 10-and-7, good for third place in the AUS standings.
StFX falls to 3-and-13.
The Varsity Reds go on the road to face Acadia, on Friday. The X-Men play host to Saint Mary's, also on Friday night.
Courtesy Andy Campbell, UNB Sports Information