Fredericton, NB – The St. Thomas University Tommies used a strong first quarter to propel them to a 93-67 victory over the Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics.
The Tommies jumped out to a 21-10 lead after the first quarter and carried that momentum into the second quarter, holding the Mystics to just 26 first half points.
"Our defensive energy was the key to today's victory," said Tommies' head, John Hickey. "Our defence translates into offence more often than not. If we are guarding and our first few steps [in transition] are in the right direction and with pace we are going to be tough to play against."
4th year guard Almin Dervisevic (Ottawa, ON) led the Tommies with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while rookie Vincent Lyttleton (Markham, ON) chipped in with 13 points off the bench. The Mystics were led by rookie guard Adam Callaghan who had 14 points, while veterans Joel McCrossin and Jaxon Smith each had 11.
The second half was much of the same for the Tommies as their defence was smothering, and the bench put the finishing touches on the game, scoring a combined 20 points in the fourth quarter.
"We have lots to get better at, there's no question about that," added Hickey. "We were pretty good tonight though. Our bench scoring was good too, and that's because we were able to get out and run and guys came ready to play."
The Tommies will face the Mount Allison University Mounties Sunday at 4:00pm at "The Pit".