Well-balanced scoring leads Dal past Acadia 75-63

(Halifax, N.S.) – Four different Dalhousie players scored in double figures on Saturday night at the Dalplex, helping the Tigers top the Acadia Axemen 75-63.

Forward Sven Stammberger (Halifax, NS) and guard Ritchie Kanza Mata (Toronto, ON) led the way for Dalhousie with 13 points each, while forward Kyle Arseneault added 13 for the Axemen.

The first five minutes of the opening quarter were a back-and-forth battle, with the Tigers up by just two.

The back half of quarter was dominated by Dalhousie however, thanks in large part to forward Sascha Kappos (Miami, FL), who came off the bench to tally a team-leading eight points – including a put-back slam as the hosts led 20-8 after the first quarter.

Both teams shot above 50 percent in what was a competitive second quarter.

Guard Ben Miller (Winnipeg, MB) led the way with eight points on 3-of-6 shooting for the Axemen, while forward Sven Stammberger (Halifax, NS) added eight for the Tigers, and led all scorers with 11 points as the hosts went into the break up 40-29.

Acadia came out of halftime on fire, going on a 15-4 run in the opening six minutes of play to tie the game at 44. Forward Erik Nissen (Quispamsis, NB) was the catalyst with five points as well as a key block.

Dalhousie would respond however, and took a 62-52 lead into the final 10 minutes, thanks to key contributions from reserve guards Jordan Aquino-Serjue (Montreal, QC) and Matt McVeigh (Tantallon, NS).

The fourth quarter was a tight-defensive battle, with just six combined buckets in the first six minutes of play.

Acadia would trim the Tigers lead down to as much as eight, but essentially lost the game at the free-throw line, where four of Dalhousie's final seven made shots occurred from.

With the win, Dalhousie advanced to 15-4, while the Axemen fell to 9-9.

Both teams are back in action on Friday. Dalhousie will host UPEI while Acadia will welcome Memorial.