CBU drops season opener to Acadia

WOLFVILLE, N.S. - The Acadia Axemen took their first regular-season game against the Cape Breton Capers 101-92.

The Capers established their dominance in the first quarter with solid play on both ends of the court. They were able to take a 27-21 lead into the second quarter.

With moments left in the opening quarter, Cape Breton's Izaiah Ugualah (Burnaby, B.C.) tossed up a perfect pass for Chris Hankins (Burlington, Ont.), who finished the alley-oop with force. 

Despite his team being down, Acadia's Rowan Power (Dartmouth, N.S.) led all players with nine points after the first 10 minutes.

Acadia willed themselves back into the game, and after three minutes in the second quarter, the game was tied 33-33. A minute later and the Axemen had their first lead of the game. The score went back and forth for the rest of the half, but it was the Capers who held on by the end of 20. 

Cape Breton entered halftime up by a score of 46-44.

It remained a close game throughout the third quarter with the lead constantly changing sides. It was an action-packed quarter and a treat for fans of both teams. Acadia took a 2-point advantage into the fourth quarter, up 67-65.

The Axemen exploded in the fourth quarter, and with four minutes remaining they had their biggest lead of 10 points. 

With a narrow margin between both teams, Acadia's Jacques Lukusa (Ottawa, Ont.) stepped up and hit several clutch shots. Acadia was able to hold onto their lead and squeezed out a 101-92 win. 

Off the bench, Lukusa finished with 26 points to lead all players. He had four great quarters of basketball and secured Acadia's win. Lukusa was the Subway Player of the Game. Rowan Power and Alex Muise added 20 and 17 points respectively off the bench.

Off the bench, CJ Bennett (Brampton, Ont.) played consistently up and down the court, keeping the game competitive until the buzzer. He was rewarded for his hard work with the Capers' Player of the Game award with 18 points.

Ibrahim Gosselin-Diawara netted a Caper high of 20 points. Teammates Chris Hankins and Paul Watson added 14 and 13 respectively.

The Axemen recorded a 52.2% from the floor but were a dismal 21.7% from the distant arc. On a positive note, the Axemen were 83.9% from the charity strip.

Game two of the weekend's back-to-back games is tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.