Fredericton, NB - The St. Thomas University Tommies hung on for a narrow victory over the Crandall University Chargers at the Lady Beaverbrook Gym. After leading by as many as 23, the clawing Chargers were unable to complete their comeback, only getting as close as six points away. The Tommies escaped with an 80-73 victory.
Tre Campbell (Scarborough, ON) led the Tommies in scoring with 16 points, knocking down four 3's. Tyrese Paul (Fredericton, NB) had 13 with seven rebounds and five assists while Geoffrey Lavoie (Ottawa, ON) and Gayo Isaya (Fredericton, NB) each had 12. Lavoie also had seven rebounds with three steals. Devon Glenn led the way for the Chargers, scoring a game-high 18 points. James French picked up a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds while Brett Curtis scored 15 points.
The Tommies came out swinging - tallying up 18 points before the Chargers could get themselves on the board. Lavoie hit a three just four seconds into the game, followed by two more from Campbell during their 18-0 run. Lavoie and Cambell each had eight in the first quarter, as STU led 31-10 after 10 minutes of play. The Chargers came out cold, only shooting 25% from the field while the Tommies were at 57.1%, along with a 5-10 performance from beyond the arc. The first was the only quarter the Tommies won.
The Chargers wouldn't take long to get their heads back in the game, outscoring the Tommies 23-21 in the second quarter. Still, Crandall was in a large deficit. They trailed 52-33 at the half.
Marc Hoffer jumpstarted a 14-3 Chargers run in the second half after picking up a steal, following a made layup from Gabriel Comier. Comier finished with 14 points. Crandall's run would get them to as close as 11, but they wouldn't pull within single digits until the final quarter.
A three from Glenn pulled the Chargers within nine points with just under eight minutes remaining. The two battled in a physical game, as the Tommies held off the Chargers, escaping with a 80-73 win for their sixth win of the year.
The win leapfrogs the Tommies over the Chargers in the ACAA standings.
Tommies' head coach John Hickey said he was impressed with how his team came out and needed to keep playing how they did earlier in the game.
"We got away from doing what got us there in the second half," he said. "We settled for outside shots too much and couldn't make foul shots." STU went 19-32 from the free-throw line.
The Chargers are now 6-4 while the Tommies are 6-3. STU sits in third in the ACAA standings over Crandall due to winning percentage. They'll take on the Holland College Hurricanes in their next match on Jan. 28 at 5:00 PM. The Chargers square off against the University of King's College Blue Devils in Moncton at 8:00 PM on Jan. 27.
