V-Reds settle for split
February 6, 2012
AUS vs. X | Comeback bid stalls against nation's 6th-ranked squad
The St. Francis Xavier University X-Men warded off a late comeback to down the University of New Brunswick men's basketball squad 76-72 in Atlantic University Sport Men's Basketball Conference action on Saturday.
After Jeremy Dunn drilled a devastating three-pointer at the beginning of the fourth quarter to open a 13-point gap, Seth Amoah countered with one of his own to set off a 7-0 run in the final stages of the game. However, the deficit was too large to overcome and StFX evened the weekend set at the Richard J. Currie Center after a 67-66 Varsity Reds win on Friday. 'It's definitely disappointing when you're in striking distance and couldn't seal the deal,' said head coach Brent Baker.
The Reds fell to 5-10 and sit on the fringe of the Atlantic University Sport postseason. UNB is tied with Saint Mary's (6-8) at 16 points, with the Huskies holding a game in hand. The X-Men improved to 10-4 with the twopoint win.
With the absences of key players Will McFee and Robert Linton, the Reds contended with and defeated the nation's sixth-ranked squad.
'Our team is getting there, and we can beat any team if we decide to play hard,' said Michael Fosu, who scored the game-high 20 points on Saturday.
'We wanted to make sure StFX wasn't going to come here and get an easy win. We wanted to grind it out.' It's a timely confidence boost for a team looking to track down Saint Mary's and the Dalhousie Tigers (6-8) in the final five games of season, all of which are against the Huskies and Tigers.
At the forefront of the surge are a couple of rookies from Montreal, Fosu and Amoah. The 6-foot-5 245-pound Fosu made immediate impact on the lineup at the post position, averaging 10.6 points in 27.7 minutes per game. Now Amoah has emerged as impact player after a slow start, earning 32 minutes of floor time and scoring 13 points on Saturday.
'The Montreal players have really come on in the past couple of weeks, and that's a big boost for us,' said Baker.
'Coming from a major metropolis to Fredericton would be difficult for any freshman, but I think it was just getting their feet on the ground, getting solid, taking care of things in the classroom and, finally, it moved on to the court.' Their speed and athleticism has also rejuvenated the Reds defence, holding one of the most potent offences to 67 and 72 points in a weekend.
'We know we have an M.O. We have a way of attacking and a way of doing business, and if we play our high quality defence that we played for three quarters today, we'll be fine,' said Baker.
The Reds host the Tigers at the Currie Center on Feb. 10 and 11 for two of their four remaining matches between the two clubs. Baker is hopeful for McFee and Linton to be able to dress next weekend.
The St. Francis Xavier University X-Men warded off a late comeback to down the University of New Brunswick men's basketball squad 76-72 in Atlantic University Sport Men's Basketball Conference action on Saturday.
After Jeremy Dunn drilled a devastating three-pointer at the beginning of the fourth quarter to open a 13-point gap, Seth Amoah countered with one of his own to set off a 7-0 run in the final stages of the game. However, the deficit was too large to overcome and StFX evened the weekend set at the Richard J. Currie Center after a 67-66 Varsity Reds win on Friday. 'It's definitely disappointing when you're in striking distance and couldn't seal the deal,' said head coach Brent Baker.
The Reds fell to 5-10 and sit on the fringe of the Atlantic University Sport postseason. UNB is tied with Saint Mary's (6-8) at 16 points, with the Huskies holding a game in hand. The X-Men improved to 10-4 with the twopoint win.
With the absences of key players Will McFee and Robert Linton, the Reds contended with and defeated the nation's sixth-ranked squad.
'Our team is getting there, and we can beat any team if we decide to play hard,' said Michael Fosu, who scored the game-high 20 points on Saturday.
'We wanted to make sure StFX wasn't going to come here and get an easy win. We wanted to grind it out.' It's a timely confidence boost for a team looking to track down Saint Mary's and the Dalhousie Tigers (6-8) in the final five games of season, all of which are against the Huskies and Tigers.
At the forefront of the surge are a couple of rookies from Montreal, Fosu and Amoah. The 6-foot-5 245-pound Fosu made immediate impact on the lineup at the post position, averaging 10.6 points in 27.7 minutes per game. Now Amoah has emerged as impact player after a slow start, earning 32 minutes of floor time and scoring 13 points on Saturday.
'The Montreal players have really come on in the past couple of weeks, and that's a big boost for us,' said Baker.
'Coming from a major metropolis to Fredericton would be difficult for any freshman, but I think it was just getting their feet on the ground, getting solid, taking care of things in the classroom and, finally, it moved on to the court.' Their speed and athleticism has also rejuvenated the Reds defence, holding one of the most potent offences to 67 and 72 points in a weekend.
'We know we have an M.O. We have a way of attacking and a way of doing business, and if we play our high quality defence that we played for three quarters today, we'll be fine,' said Baker.
The Reds host the Tigers at the Currie Center on Feb. 10 and 11 for two of their four remaining matches between the two clubs. Baker is hopeful for McFee and Linton to be able to dress next weekend.