(FREDERICTON, NB) Javon Masters has a number of supporting cast members.
On Sunday, in a 110-79 win over the Memorial Sea-Hawks, Jesse Kendall stepped into the role.
Kendall was 10-for-15 from the field, including four threes. He also made all five free throws, scoring 29 points.
Masters, meanwhile, scored a game-high 35 and grabbed 8 rebounds.
"Jesse got off to a very good start for us," said Masters.
In fact, Kendall scored 11 of UNB's first 13 points.
"He shot the ball extremely well and that really opened up the floor for everybody else, so I was able to attack and get to the basket and finish."
The win was the second in as many days for the Varsity Reds over the Sea-Hawks and saw ten of the eleven Varsity Reds hit the score-sheet.
Vasilije Curcic paced the Memorial attack. He scored 21 points and had 9 rebounds. Caleb Gould scored 20 and grabbed 11 rebounds.
"MUN's a very good team," said Masters. "The score may be deceiving, but we actually had to work very hard for this game. Defensively, we played pretty well. There were some lapses and we can't afford those coming down the stretch."
Masters played only 28 minutes, below his average. Fellow starters Matt Daley and Mark Matheson logged 17 and 16 respectively, as head coach Brent Baker tried to balance playing time.
"We're on practice about 51 here and when you're not getting a lot of minutes, it's nice to get reported and get a chance to play," said Baker.
With the win, the Varsity Reds improve to 8-and-6 and are now alone in third place in the AUS standings, just six points back of league-leading Dalhousie.
Masters' 35 point afternoon improved his points per game average to 26.8, tops in the CIS. He's almost a full point a game better than UPEI's Tyler Scott, who averages 25.7. Calgary's Thomas Cooper is next, at 24.9 points per game.
"He's usually pretty good about the shots he takes," said Coach Baker. "When he gets in the open court, I mean, I'd hate to be the other coach… to have to deal with that."
The Saint Mary's Huskies will be next to have to deal with Masters and his teammates, when the Varsity Reds visit Halifax, next weekend.