The UNB Saint John Seawolves took on the Dalhousie Agricultural Rams in the first of a two game home series played Saturday at the G. Forbes Athletic Centre.
The Seawolves outscored their opponents 94-71, earning themselves their first win of the season.
“We are sitting in a hole with three losses”, explained second year Ben Tait (Saint John, NB). “We want to start next semester with an even record.”
Keegan Gray (Woodstock, NB) of the Seawolves, was able to put his team on the scoreboard with a quick layup off the jump ball to start the game.
Both teams traded points, until two free throws from Liam Sipkema (Midland, NB) followed by a beautiful 3-point shot from Will Legere (Amherst, NS) put UNB Saint John in a leading position that they didn’t give up for the rest of the game.
The first quarter ended quickly, with a 22-17 lead for the Wolves.
A foul within the first ten seconds of the second quarter brought some life into the visiting Rams, and allowed them a chance to try and even up the score.
A big 3 point shot from Tait quickly quashed that dream however.
Tait then hit two foul shots – a big contribution into his season high 13 points, which gave the Seawolves the momentum they needed for a 5-0 run.
The Rams were unable to respond until halfway through the quarter, when Cole Yuill was able to get a quick jump shot up.
UNB Saint John then went on another 9-0 run, which ultimately sealed the lead, going into half-time up 46-32.
Two technical fouls occurred in the third quarter – one to Johannes McEvoy of the Rams, and the other to Rams head coach, Andrew Barnhill.
The tension and frustration with referees could be felt through most of the third, but the Rams channeled it, scoring 27 points in seven minutes.
The third ended with a score of 70-59 for the Seawolves, and the uneasiness in the gymnasium was palpable after such a big push from the Rams.
The fourth quarter started out much of the same, and both teams traded points until some big shots from Tait and Keshuan Skeir (Halifax, NS) brought them ahead.
“We let a lot of offensive rebounds get by,” said Steve Ryan (Mount Pearl, NL). “If we had rebounded better, it could have changed from a 20-point game to a 40-point game. It’s the only thing we need to control.”
Head coach Pete Vincent echoed some of Ryan’s thoughts and added,“We put them on the foul line too much. We’re on the right track though, and we will be ready to do whatever we have to get a second win tomorrow.”
The Seawolves saw nine of their players on the scoresheet, five of whom each scored more than 13 points apiece.
Legere was a powerhouse, netting a season high 21 points for UNB Saint John, while Dal AC’s Robin Grouse (Halifax, NS) led all scorers with 24 points and 13 rebounds.
The Seawolves have now improved to 1-3 on the season, while Dal Ac drops to 1-4.
The next game for both teams is today, November 20 for the second matchup between the two team. Game time is scheduled for 12 pm in the G. Forbes Athletic Center and can be streamed online at acaatv.ca
