HALIFAX, NS – With lots of action in the AUS men’s basketball over the past week, here is all you need to know.

Acadia vs St. Francis Xavier University

Acadia University and St. Francis Xavier University split their two matchups this week as StFX won the first bout 73-64, and Acadia got their revenge Friday in a 90-82 win.

Everything went south for Acadia in the fourth-quarter in Wednesday’s loss with only seven fourth-quarter points. StFX, on the other hand, scored 23 in the fourth-quarter in a game that saw their bench contribute 38 points.

Handy Disanka scored 17 points off the bench, which was much needed due to none of StFX’s starters shooting over 50 per cent from the field.

Acadia star, Rowan Power, put up 19 points with nine rebounds and was the only starter to score in the fourth quarter.

However, Acadia’s starters responded in Friday’s game as Eli Kraushar scored 21 points, Alex Muise scored 21 points, and Jack Tilley scored 18 points. All three did it on 50 per cent shooting from the field. Pair this with Power’s 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists; it is virtually impossible to lose with this type of scoring power.

Justin Andrew impressed Friday night by hitting all 14 of his free throws in his 30 point performance. However, his team fell short by eight points.

StFX was able to get to the line 33 times to Acadia’s 14 free throws attempted. The difference in the game ended up being the 3-point shooting. StFX only made five 3-pointers compared to Acadia’s 13.

Acadia now sits with a 1-3 record, with Kraushar averaging three 3-pointers made per game on 44.4 per cent shooting. Kraushar is averaging over double the minutes he received in past seasons; expect Kraushar to continue his hot shooting.

StFX is now 2-2 on the season, with Andrew leading the way with his 17.5 points per game which should come as no surprise after averaging 14.6 points per game through his two previous seasons.

University of New Brunswick vs Saint Mary’s University

Saint Mary’s University have quickly become bonafide contenders as they start the season 4-0.

SMU defeated the University of New Brunswick on Friday night 83-59, led by Nikita Kasongo’s 25 points and Qyemah Gibson’s 22 points. Kasongo picked up 10 rebounds to support SMU’s dominant night on the boards, outrebounding UNB 44-31.

Saturday’s game was tightly contested in UNB’s 93-82 loss against SMU. UNB led by five points going into the fourth-quarter, but SMU responded with 31 fourth-quarter points.

Ibrahima Doumbouya scored 24 points paired with 14 rebounds on his memorable night for UNB. Jace Colley led the game in scoring with 28 points while Kasongo had a near triple-double with 18 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists. Watch for Kasongo to continue his insane output.

SMU sits atop the league and are firing on all cylinders as they hold the league’s best offence and defence.

University of Prince Edward Island vs Dalhousie University

The University of Prince Edward Island responded from their 84-77 loss against Dalhousie University Friday night with an 85-72 win on Saturday.

Alex Carson led Dalhousie with his 24 points on Friday, shooting 9-18 from the field. Elijah Miller kept UPEI in the game with 12 third-quarter points as he finished with 23 on the night, including 13 attempted free throws.

Both teams were evenly matched as they both connected on their 3-pointers and got to the free throw line.

In Saturday’s game, it was once again a battle between Carson and Miller. Carson had 27 but uncharacteristically struggled from behind the arc shooting 1-9. Miller shot 4-6 on his 3-pointers and added 10 rebounds in his 24 point performance.

UPEI came out flying, outscoring Dalhousie 27-9 in the first quarter, making it challenging for Dalhousie to come back.

Dalhousie struggled to make their 3-pointers as they only connected on five of their 24 3-point attempts.

UPEI is building momentum as they are now 3-1, including a big against the defending champions. With Miller playing incredibly with averages of 18.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists, UPEI is a threat this season.

Dalhousie waits for their MVP to make his season debut as Keevan Veinot has not yet touched the court. It will only be fair to assess them once they get their groundbreaking player back.

Cape Breton University vs Memorial University of Newfoundland

The Memorial University of Newfoundland lit it up for 95 points in Saturday’s win over Cape Breton University, which made for the most points scored by a team this season.

Cole Long had himself a game with 35 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, five steals and two blocks. Long, the AUS men’s leading scorer, not only showed he could dominate with his scoring, but he can really fill the stat sheet.

CBU only converted on three of their 16 3-pointers, while Memorial connected on 12 of theirs.

Osman Omar went off for 29 points for CBU Sunday, but his team fell short in their 86-74 loss against Memorial.

Cole Long had another outstanding performance on Sunday, putting up 24 points and 14 rebounds. Long is dominating teams and is an early candidate for MVP as he leads the league in scoring and rebounding.

Memorial are now 2-2 on the season as their wins against CBU lead CBU to 0-4 and last in the league.