Axemen on to semifinals at CIS 'Final Eight'

BY JOHN DECOSTE

NovaNewsNow.com

The Acadia Axemen have advanced to the semifinals at the CIS 'Final Eight' for the first time since 1991.

Conference MVP and first-team all-Canadian Leo Saintil had 27 points and 10 rebounds and Shawn Berry added 25 points and six boards as the Axemen outlasted Laval 85-77 in their quarterfinal matchup Friday in Ottawa.

Andrew Kraus with 12 points also reached double figures for Acadia, which turned in a real team effort on both sides of the ball.

Other notable performances were turned in by Achuil Lual (six points and eight rebounds), and Alex Traikov (four points and five boards in limited action).

Jean-Francois Beaulieu-Maheux led all scorers with 28 points for Laval. All-Canadian Jean-Philippe Morin had a quiet 15 points and Xavier Baribeau and Jerome Turcotte-Routhier 10 points each.

Acadia started slowly, and trailed 18-11 after one quarter, then outscored the Rouge et Or 28-10 in the second quarter to take a 39-28 halftime lead.

Laval won the third quarter 25-23 and the fourth 24-23, but Acadia had an answer for everything the Rouge et Or threw at them.

Laval reduced the Axemen lead from 17 down to three at 74-71, but Acadia responded with five points from Berry and a key basket from Saintil following a steal.

The Axemen shot 58 per cent in the second half and 50.8 per cent overall to Laval's 47.6. Acadia also won the rebounding battle by a convincing 36-20 margin.

With the win, the Axemen advance to play Saturday at 6 p.m. against the winner of Friday's late quarterfinal between Alberta and top-ranked Carleton.

Winners of the early quarterfinals were Western Ontario, 75-70 victors over the Saint Mary's Huskies, and seventh-ranked Brock which upset #2 UBC 83-78.