6-1 record at end of semester
Acadia basketball team handed first loss by Dalhousie
After beating the No. 5 ranked Dalhousie Tigers in a home and home sweep last week, the U SPORTS No. 10 ranked Acadia Axemen fell short in extending their winning streak to six in a 70-68 edging by the STFX X-men at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax Nov. 24.
In their first loss of the regular season, the Axemen grabbed a quick lead on the X-men in the opening minutes of the first quarter. The lead was short lived as STFX went to work compiling a 7-0 run to tie the game at nine.
Trailing 52-40 after one half, the Axemen drew on the play of big men Erik Nissen and Rhys Larry in the paint to close the gap to 66-60 X-men on an 8-0 run. With 35 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Nick De Palma drained his fifth threepoint basket of the night to close the X-men lead to 68-63.
A final quarter that saw 25 points total scored by both teams, the Axemen narrowed the lead to 76-75 on two made free throws by Nissen.
A steal by Davonte Provo from Nissen set up an eventual Nissen foul on Justin Andrew who netted both free throws for the 80-75 lead.
One of two Nissen free throws and a Ben Miller layup with a minute remaining in the game, closed the margin to 80-78, but it was not enough for the tie, as Acadia struggled to force the game into overtime.
The Axemen led in most statistical categories except points on turnovers, where the X-men picked up 24 compared to Acadia’s 15. Acadia had 22 turnovers versus STFX’S 14.
Nissen had a game high 26 points, while teammate Nick De Ben Miller looks for help in Acadia’s recent 70-68 loss to Dalhousie.
Palma worked the distant arc for 18 points and a 22-point total. Nissen and Larry dominated the boards with 11 and 10 rebounds respectively.
The Acadia Axemen erased any chance of an upset Nov. 25, outscoring the Panthers 29-13 in a dominant third quarter en route to an 88-78 win.
In the decisive frame, the Axemen – known for their proficient shooting – caught fire and never let up, turning a six-point halftime deficit into a 10-point lead heading into the fourth.
De Palma scored eight of his 19 points in the crucial 10 minutes, while Miller chipped in with seven of his 15. Miller also recorded a double-double with 13 rebounds to go along with seven assists and five steals.
“It all started on the defensive end,” Miller said. “They got too many good looks in the first half and then we tightened up on defence and contested every shot in the second.”
Vernelle Johnson came off the bench and provided a lift with six points to lead his team, as they took the quarter 19-12, but Acadia cut the deficit to as few as two in the opening minutes of the second.
“We have a target on our back now and it’s something we have to learn to play with,” Miller said. “We went 1-1 this weekend and that’s not how we want our weekends to look like.”
Each time the Axemen made a run, the Panthers punched back and held a 43-37 lead at halftime. After a quiet first quarter, Nissen single-handedly kept his team alive, scoring 13 of his game-high 21 points in the second.
Following the break, the poor shooting percentages quickly turned around. Acadia started connecting on their shots, outscoring their opponent 16-10 early in the third to tie the game at 53 a side.
After a triple reclaimed the lead for the Panthers, De Palma and Miller drilled back-to-back threes for the Axemen, who took their first lead of the game 59-56. De Palma continued to torch the Panthers, scoring eight in the quarter to propel his team to a 66-56 lead after three.
“I felt we wore their defence down a bit in third,” Miller said. “We got comfortable in their zone and got our shooters some good looks.”
Once the lead was theirs, the Axemen – led by Mason Middaugh’s 10 fourth-quarter points – never looked back as the veteran team kept their composure and took care of business 8878. Middaugh finished with 19 points on the night.
The Axemen completed the first semester with a 6-1 record and are back on the court during the Christmas holidays at the annual Rod Shovellor Tournament hosted by Dalhousie, Dec. 29-31. The regular season resumes Jan. 4 at home versus the Saint Mary’s Huskies starting at 8 p.m.