X-Men Beat REDS In OT

(FREDERICTON, NB) Dondre Reddick (Antigonish, NS) dropped 14 points and had 16 rebounds as the STFX X-Men topped the UNB REDS 78-70, in overtime, on Saturday night.

Reddick's full court effort earned him Subway Player of the Game.

"We all stepped up together," said Reddick. "We were aggressive, we played with heart and had a defensive mindset first."

Justin Andrew (Hamilton, ON) also had a strong performance with a game-high 20 points, while David Muenkat (Brantford, ON) and Avan Nava (Mississauga, ON) each dropped 15.

Chris Spurrell (Quispamsis, NB) led the REDS with 19 points while Tyrell Leotaud (Ajax, ON) had 12 and Ibrahima Doumbouya (Calgary, AB) had 14 rebounds.

The game was played in front of 759 masked and fully vaccinated fans at UNB's Currie Center.

The opening weekend finale between the two sides had an emotional, playoff-like atmosphere with plenty of physical battles. Similar to Friday's game, the REDS had the faster start with an early 10-6 lead.

The X-Men would finish the opening frame strong with a 15-4 run to lead 21-14 heading into the second.

STFX would widen their lead to twelve as the game approached halftime at 33-21. However, UNB would surge late with 12 unanswered points to tie the game with momentum going into the third quarter.

The momentum of the game continued to swing through the third quarter, with UNB gaining a slight edge, 49-47, heading into the fourth.

Both teams found themselves deadlocked at 58-58 with four minutes remaining in regulation.

Spurrell hit a long jump-shot and Leotaud followed with a strong drive to the basket to make it 64-63 REDS with 59.9 seconds left. 

Reddick would hit the tying free throw for the X-Men shortly after to make it 64-64 and send the game to overtime.

STFX would outscore UNB 14-6 in the extra frame for their first win of the season.

"We weren't making the right reads and the right plays that we needed down the stretch and that cost us the game," said Leotaud 

Both teams finish the opening weekend with 1-1 records.

The REDS are in Halifax next Friday to face the Saint Mary's Huskies. Game time is 8:00pm.

STFX will host the Acadia Axemen Wednesday night. Game time is also 8:00pm.

RECAP BY: Jonathon James/for UNB Athletics

PHOTOS BY: James West/for UNB Athletics