X-Men drop game to Capers

Antigonish, N.S. - The visiting Cape Breton University Capers (5-5) scored a 97-80 victory in the first of back-to-back games versus the StFX X-Men (1-8) in AUS basketball action Thursday night at the Oland Centre.

The match-up, which was scheduled for Wednesday, was postponed due to the effects of a winter storm that swept across northeastern Nova Scotia.

Subway player of the game Meshack Lufile (Burlington, ON) had a monster game, scoring 34 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while adding three assists and three blocked shots. 

In a high-scoring first quarter, the Capers jumped out to a 9-0 lead, but the X-Men responded with a 10-4 run to make it 13-10 for the visitors. Kevin Bercy (Kanata, ON) collected a pair of baskets in the StFX burst.

The Capers led 30-22 after the opening 10 minutes.

Midway through the second quarter, the X-Men outscored the Capers 11-1, with a couple key baskets coming from freshman guard Tristen Ross (Truro, NS), to cut the deficit to one point.

The Capers rebounded to go up by nine, keyed by back-to-back breakaway dunks by Kenny Jean-Louis (Montreal, QC).

After a StFX timeout, they responded with an 8-0 run, including two three-pointers from Ross.

The Capers took a 49-45 edge to the locker room.

In the decisive third quarter, CBU outscored StFX 28-16, with point guard Jack MacAulay (Charlottetown, PEI) hitting a trio of shots from the beyond the arc.

In the fourth quarter, the Capers extended their advantage to 24 on another three-pointer from MacAulay, who made six in the game, to help seal the deal. He finished with 22 points, two rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Seth Amoah (Montreal, QC) and Jean-Louis also hit double figures for CBU with 14 and 11 points, respectively.

Bercy, the X-Men player of the game, finished with a double-double - 18 points and 10 assists, while adding three assists and two steals.

Guard Julius Antoine (Woodbridge, ON) chipped in 16 points, six assists, three rebounds and three steals, while Ross collected 13 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists.

The teams will return to the court Saturday, Jan. 16, at Sullivan Fieldhouse in Sydney. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.

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