(ST. JOHN'S, NL) The Memorial Sea-Hawks defeated the UNB Varsity Reds 87-80 in the AUS men's basketball season-opener for both teams, on Saturday night, in St. John's.

The Sea-Hawks and VReds battled back and forth all night long, with the game having 11 ties and 6 lead changes.

Memorial got contributions up and down the lineup, with five players registering double digit scoring totals.

Vasilije Curcic(Kragujevac, SERBIA) was the top scorer for the Sea-Hawks, with 19 points. He added 15 rebounds. Curcic played much the the second half in foul trouble.

The Varsity Reds' bench outscored the Sea-Hawks' 43 to 22, with Jamaal Potopsingh(Brampton, ON) scoring 23 of those points for the visitors. Javon Masters(Kitchener, ON) finished with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Memorial won the turnover advantage, forcing UNB into 15, while only giving up 10.

The Sea-Hawks were able to outscore UNB 17-9 in points off turnovers, which was a crucial stat that helped the Sea-Hawks record the victory.

Both teams are back in action on Sunday, in a 1:30PM(Atlantic) tip-off.

RECAP AND PHOTO BY: Memorial Athletics Sports Information