REDS Hold Off X-Men

(FREDERICTON, NB) The UNB REDS held off a late comeback attempt by STFX on Saturday night to defeat the X-Men, 76-64 at UNB's Currie Center.

Marcus Barnes (Kitchener, ON) led the way for UNB with 18 points. Jeven Eddy (Ajax, ON) contributed 13 points and nine rebounds, while Reese Zorogole (Halifax, NS) added 14 points and five rebounds off the bench for the REDS.

Zorogole was named Tim Horton's Player of the Game.

Bennett Grumbach (Toronto, ON) posted a team-high 22-point, 10-rebound double-double in the loss for STFX, with Dondre Reddick (Antigonish, NS) adding 19 points.

The REDS came out of the gate hot to start the game, opening the quarter on a 10-0 run led by threes from Barnes and Brandon Laryea (Crawley, UK) and holding the X-Men scoreless for the first four minutes.

Barnes finished the quarter with nine points, while Javordo Mitchell (Woodbridge, ON) contributed on the defensive end with two blocks, allowing the REDS to hold a commanding 29-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

UNB continued to dominate at the start of the second quarter, extending their lead to 20 points after free throws from Eddy. However, back-to-back threes from Reddick and 11 second-quarter points by Grumbach brought the X-Men within 13 points.

Still, a layup from Barnes closed out the first half with UNB ahead 44-29.

Laryea had a strong start to the second half, scoring on a highlight dunk and hitting a wide-open corner three, giving UNB a 21-point lead, their largest of the night.

The X-Men responded with a 17-4 run, narrowing the gap to just an 8-point UNB lead as the REDS closed the third quarter up 56-48.

The REDS began the fourth quarter with six points from Eddy, pushing UNB to a 61-52 lead.

However, the X-Men answered back with a three from Reddick, reducing the gap to just a 6-point UNB lead with three minutes left.

But that was as close as STFX would get. A layup from Barnes, followed by some excellent free-throw shooting down the stretch, helped UNB close out the game, securing the 76-64 victory.

Looking ahead, the REDS (8-10) hit the road, traveling to Wolfville, NS, to face the Acadia Axemen on Wednesday with tip-off scheduled for 8:00 pm.

Meanwhile, the X-Men (11-7) will travel to Halifax, NS, to take on the Dalhousie Tigers on Friday at 8:00 pm.

RECAP BY: Evan Richtsfeld/ UNB Athletics

PHOTOS BY: James West/ For UNB Athletics