The St. Thomas University Tommies came out victorious in their season opener with an 82-70 win over the Mount Allison Mounties in Saturday afternoon in ACAA men's basketball action at the Lady Beaverbrook Gym.  

The Tommies got the ball rolling early by jumping out to a 21-16 lead by the end of the first quarter. 

Head coach, John Hickey, made his regular season Tommies debut and was pleased with his team's effort, acknowledging there is room for growth.  

"We came out on the right end this time," said Hickey. "I thought we played tough and we have a few things to fix like everybody does." 

St. Thomas did not let up there, maintaining the lead throughout the contest from the 0:16 mark of the first quarter.  

The Mounties came within striking distance of the Tommies when Diangelo Woodside took the ball to the rim and slammed it down to bring the Mounties within five points.  

The difference in the match was field goals, with the Tommies converting on 48%, while Mount Allison capitalized on just 40%.  

The Tommies were led by Daemen Hemphill and his 18 points on the afternoon while shooting 7-17 on field goals, while Brett Curtis led the way for the Mounties with 21 points. 

"We have to be better on rebounds," said Hickey. "We have to get more disciplined in those areas, the ball isn't always going to bounce that way so we have to bring our best stuff." 

The Tommies are back in action next Sunday afternoon when they host the Crandall University Chargers at 6:00pm at the Lady Beaverbrook Gym, while the Mounties will host the Seawolves on Sunday November 3rd.