CAPERS on to Semi-Finals!

(HALIFAX, N.S.) The Cape Breton Capers (4^th) defeated the StFX X-Men (5^th) 89-66 in Friday evening's first men's quarterfinal of the Subway AUS Basketball Championships.

The Capers were led by Osman Omar, who posted a game-high 22 points and added four rebounds, four steals, and four assists.

Omar opened the scoring on the night with a three-pointer just over a minute into the first frame.

The first started off with back-and-forth action as the X-Men led 17-14 with the clock winding down in the quarter. With just seconds remaining in the frame, Cape Breton's Tevin Bartley drew a foul, successfully draining his first foul shot. AUS Defensive Player of the Year, Paul Watson, picked up the rebound on a second free throw to drain the ball and tie the game at 17-17 heading into the second.

Watson led the Capers after the first with eight points and four rebounds.

The Capers began to pull ahead in the second, holding a 30-19 lead at the half-way mark of the quarter. The X-Men began to bounce back, as they scored eight unanswered points to put them within three with 1:47 remaining in the second. 

However, the X-Men were unable to keep up with the Capers at the end of the frame, as Cape Breton scored eight points to hold a 39-31 lead at halftime.

Watson had a massive first half for the Capers, posting 17 points and adding five rebounds, two assists, and four steals.

Justin Andrew led the X-Men at halftime with eight points, while Azaro Roker had eight rebounds.

The Capers quickly pulled away in the third, as they held a 54-35 lead with five minutes remaining in the frame. 

Shacier Locke put up eight points for the Capers in the third, allowing them to hold a 66-45 edge heading into the final 10 minutes of regulation. 

With under seven minutes remaining in regulation, Omar posted a three-pointer allowing the Capers to pull ahead 74-51.

Two successful free throws from StFX's Brandon Velocci put the X-Men within 20 as they looked for the comeback.

StFX's efforts fell short, as the Capers outscored the X-Men 23-21 in the final frame to hold on for an 89-66 victory.

Watson earned Subway Player of the Game honors on the night, posting 19 points and adding nine rebounds, four assists, and four steals. 

Andrew finished with a team-high 12 points for the X-Men, adding three rebounds and two steals on the night.

Cape Breton now advances to the semi-finals as they take on the Saint Mary's Huskies in the first semifinal game at 6:30 p.m. at the Scotiabank Centre.