HALIFAX, NS – The St. Francis Xavier University X-Men men’s basketball team defeated the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers 104-54 in the AUS final to win the AUS title at the Scotiabank Centre Sunday afternoon.
It was a display of dominance for the X-Men, capturing their first title since 2006. The tournament MVP David Muenkat had 15 points and 10 rebounds in 17 minutes of play.
“I don’t even have the words. You play this game; you work your tail off for moments like this to have this moment with these guys, my brothers,” said Muenkat. “I’m ecstatic. It means the world to me; this is going to stay with us forever; nobody can ever take this away from us. There’s no real words for how I’m feeling.”
StFX’s dominance was evident from the jump, as they were up 55-22 at halftime; UPEI could not stop the bleeding.
“We weren’t able to get anything going offensively, and that’s a credit to how they were defending us, and we certainly weren’t able to stop them,” said UPEI Head Coach Darrell Glenn.
The X-Men’s defence suffocated UPEI, holding them to shooting just 28.8 per cent from the field. AUS MVP Elijah Miller was held to just three points, reflecting StFX’s league-best defence.
“I didn’t sleep much last night trying to figure out with staff a way to just get it [stopping Miller] done,” said StFX Head Coach Tyrell Vernon.
After a dominate AUS title win, StFX looks to be a legitimate contender for the national title.
“We know we can compete with anybody in this country,” said Muenkat. “I’m proud of my guys, and I’m proud and happy with this moment. But again, we’re not satisfied. A national championship is the goal.”
UPEI can’t hang their heads for long as they now must prepare for nationals as well.
“Luckily for us, our season continues, so we can’t really dwell on this situation right now because we still have more games to play,” said Glenn.
Both teams will be back on the court March 10-12 at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax for the Final 8.