The 2024 AUS Men’s Basketball Championship kicked off with a thrilling game between Memorial University and the University of New Brunswick. Right from tip off both teams started with a furious pace, but were struggling to see shots fall throughout the first half.
AUS first team all-star Flynn Boardman-Raffet of Memorial University led all scores with 17-points, while AUS second team all-stars Norm Burry and Marcus Barnes led UNB in scoring with 14 and 11 points respectively. UNB pulled away at the end of the half to take a 49-41 lead into the break.
The second half action kicked off with UNB extending their lead to 10-points on multiple occasions, but the determined Memorial University team never gave up hope and battled their way back, Memorial eventually gained the lead for the first time since early in the first quarter. The turning point of the second half was UNB guard Vegas Barnes picking up his fourth foul early in the third quarter and was forced to sit out the remainder of the quarter. Memorial took advantage of his absence and took the lead into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter Memorial stand out players Emmanuel Ring and Flynn Boardman-Raffet extended the lead with UNB struggling to get their offence going. Spark plug guard Jordan Moudiandambu gave Memorial valuable minutes contributing with 10-points and giving Memorial much needed scoring help. Memorial continued to put the pressure on UNB and was able to hang onto their lead, winning the game 87-79.
Standout performers for Memorial were Emmanuel Ring, who finished with a game high 26-points, 7 rebounds and also took home game MVP, and Flynn Boardman-Raffet, who finished the game with 24-points and 8 rebounds. UNB was led by Marcus Barnes who scored a team high 19-points and 7 rebounds, Norm Burry also contributed with 15-points and 9 rebounds.
Memorial are off to the semi-finals to take on defending champions, St.Francis Xavier University.
Stay tuned for more updates on the AUS 2024 Men’s Basketball Championship.