Player Profile - Alex McLaughlin

Freshman Guard Alex McLaughlin joins the Axemen from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. At 6'4 Alex has great size and length for his position, but it is his understanding of the game and work ethic that drew the Acadia staff to him. A well coached player, a former Nova Scotia Provincial Team player, Alex comes to Acadia with a great pedigree.

Alex's attention to detail and work ethic is show cased in his pursuit of a Mathematics Degree. One of the great story lines for Acadia is Alex is following in the footsteps of both of his parents, Bruce and Liz McLaughlin, who graduate from Acadia. Bruce also graduated with a Mathematics Degree and followed both of his parents to Acadia making Alex the third generation of the McLaughlin family at Acadia.

Off the court Alex has established himself as one of the most entertaining Axemen with a great sense of humor, and a dependable teammate. Alex's work ethic and commitment drives many of his teammates through inspiration. On the floor Alex has an uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time, and gets his hands on almost everything on the defensive end.

Alex McLaughlin looks to be everything the Acadia faithful hoped for when he came to Acadia and should be a major factor in their success over the next few years as well as potentially one of the AUS top shooters.

Axemen Fall to Tigers

Simon Farine scored 32 points to help Dalhousie hold off Acadia 87-71 on Wednesday night.

Acadia came out of the gates slowly allowing the Tigers to jump out 9-0. Tyler Lutton brought a great spark off the bench with back to back transition baskets and gave Acadia a 20-18 lead with seconds to go before Farine stole the ball and hit a shot from almost half as the clock expired.

A back and forth second quarter featured Fox and Anthony Sears creating great shots for the Axemen while Farine and Joe Schow were effective inside out for the Tigers.

A 6 point half time deficit stretched to 12 after three quarters as Acadia struggled from the free throw line while the Tigers back court of Farine and Sullivan played almost error free basketball for 10 minutes.

Casey Fox had 25 points while Anthony Sears had 15 and Alex Traikov added 12.





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The Axemen have a 10 day lay over until they host the X-Men next Saturday February 13.

Axemen Take Road Loss to Huskies

The Axemen took to the floor at the Tower last night to take on the Saint Mary's Huskies. Both teams were coming off losses to the top teams in the conference and were thirsty for a win.

The game started with a great flow, showcasing the offense ability of both teams. Casey Fox came out of the gates red hot hitting 4 three pointers in the first half (6 for the game), propelling the Axemen to a 22-18 first quarter lead. The second quarter had a defensive lull from the Axemen and the Huskie's jumped all over it with good ball movement and knocking down their open looks. Axemen trailed at half 44-40.

Ickoebi Uchegbu (19 points), was the catalyst for the Huskie's in the second half socring on 3 straight possessions, helping extend the SMU lead to 10 at the end of the third quarter. The 3rd frame had the Huskies up by as much as 15 but a late run by the Axemen close the gap for the final quarter.

The Axemen opened the fourth quarter on a run and seesaw battle. The lead was closed to 4 with under 3 minutes to play, but were halted with big shots by Joey Haywood, 35 points to lead all scorers, down the stretch. Huskies took the final 87-79 when the final horn sounded.

Fox Led the Axemen with 23 points going 6-8 from downtwon, and freshman Owen Klassen notched a double double with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

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The Axemen head back to Halifax on Wednesday to take on the Dalhousie Tigers.

Player Profile - Anthony Sears

Freshman Point Guard Anthony Sears comes to us out of Riverview New Brunswick. Anthony, 6’4, was the top recruit out of the Maritimes and one of the top in the whole country. A multi-sport athlete in high school, Anthony was a star quarterback and was identified by many CIS schools in that regard.

Anthony begins his pursuit of a Recreation Management degree. Acadia’s Academic reputation and support it shows to its students was one of the main reasons he chose to come to Acadia. He believed that Acadia is a place where he can be successful both on and off the court.

Off the court Anthony has some very interesting musical talents. He has been playing drums for a number of years; he plays the piano just by ear. He has also spent some time some time entertaining the team with his beat box skills on bus rides home.
On the court, Anthony is a budding star in the league and has the ability to score the basketball as well as lock down some of the top guards in the country. In his young career Anthony has turned a lot of heads and is often talked about in opponents locker rooms before they take the court against Acadia. Not only does Anthony have an acute sense to score, his vision on the court is what makes him such a special player. He makes passes in transition and finds teammates in the half court that sometimes seemed to defy logic.

Anthony Sears promises to be a prominent figure in the AUS and Axemen fans should be excited that this young man is at the helm.

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Axemen Lose to St. FX

A uncharacteristically low scoring affair between the Axemen and X-men saw the X-men taking the nod 76-66.

In front of a Jam the Gym crowd of boisterous Acadia fans at War Memorial Gymnasium, were treated to a defensive battle with some nice plays by some very good players.

The X-men looked to try and pull away early jumping out to a 10 point lead to start the game but the Axemen battled back and ended the first quarter with a 17-15 lead. Firth year Senior Alex Traikov took the team on his shoulders in the first half, making some nice moves and shots in and around the basket.

The second quarter saw the Axemen offense lose some of its flow as they were outscored by 7 to head into the locker room at halftime 35-30.

The 3rd quarter saw a defensive battle ensue between the two teams. Shots were challenged above the rim and open shots were not easy to come by. A run in the last two minutes saw the Axemen score 12 points in that stretch to cut the game to 2 points.

In the final quarter the X-men stretched the lead to 7 points early on but the Axemen showed their resolve once again and cut the lead to 1 point with 5 minutes remaining. The game came down to a executing down the stretch. Owen Klassen fouled out with 3 minutes remaining losing an inside presence for the Axemen. Jeremy Dunn for the X-men took over for his team down the stretch grabbing 3 big offensive rebounds and scoring on 2 straight possessions for his team.

T-bear Upshaw, game high 20 points, yet again was johnny on the spot, knocking down another big three pointer to put the game away.

High man for the Axemen was Alex Traikov with 19 points, adding 6 rebounds. Klassen and Jonathan Kamba each had 10 rebounds for their team. Lars Meyer added another solid game for his club and appears to be more and more comfortable with each game for the Axemen.

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Jam the Gym

Stand up and Cheer for your Acadia Axewomen and Axemen on Friday January 22 for the
Annual Cajun's Jam the Gym Night!

Plenty of prizes available for all...
Sponsored by Cajun's Clothing Store, The Chronicle Herald, Subway and Chartwells.

Thundersticks for the early birds! Courtesy of the Acadia Students’ Union

Cajun's T's for Threes. Every time a three point shot is sunk by Acadia, Cajun's "Go Acadia Go" t-shirts will be tossed into the stands.

The Chronicle Herald Halftime promotion. 12 shirts tossed into the stands during the first half, offering two fans to participate in the halftime Chronicle Herald and Cajun’s promo during the men's game.

Subway Time Out Build and Sub. During selected time outs, two participants will build a sub. Participating fans receive a $5 Subway gift card. If they do it the fastest, at the end of the night they get an additional $5 gift card.

Chartwells Fans of the Game Contest. The Best Two fans Fan of the Games will take home a Chartwells 10 meal gift card courtesy of Chartwells Food Services - Wheelock Dinning Hall. So wear your colours, paint your face and be the noisiest fan and you could be the winner of a 10 meal courtesy card.

Sit in the specially marked Wild Fan section behind the StFX bench and you could find yourself winning one of 12 available Pizza Pizza Combo that includes a slice of Pizza Pizza, a bag of Old Dutch chips and a 591ml bottle of Pepsi product.

Second Half Cost Axemen Victory at Home

Alex Traikov had 18 points, Casey Fox 17 and Anthony Sears 13, and that was only after one half of basketball. The Acadia Axemen came out firing to start the basketball game this afternoon, getting up and down in transition, putting stress on the defense and getting many great looks from all over the court. The #5 ranked Cape Breton Capers were not shy to respond with the same style of play and the first quarter ended with the teams tied at 30-30.

Action didn't slow down in the second quarter either, the Axemen put the pedal to the floor once again, getting up and down, launching shots from deep and attacking the basket with authority. They also had a stretch where they tightened up on the defensive end, getting consecutive stops allowing themselves to separate to a 58-51 lead heading in to halftime.


The 3rd quarter the Axemen couldn't seem to regain the rhythm they had found in the 1st half and were held to 16 points and outscored by 15 in the quarter.

The 4th quarter the Axemen received a spark off the bench from first year import Lars Meyer who joined the team at Christmas. He had 9 points off the bench for the Axemen and helped his team back into the game. The Axemen cut it all the way back down to 4 with under 4 minutes remaining. However, a couple of untimely turnovers down the stretch by the Axemen, and key plays for the Capers sealed their victory with the final being 104-91 CBU.

The Axemen showed flashes of brilliance throughout periods of the game, proving that they are a few steps away from breaking out and becoming a real contender in this league.

Alex Traikov led his team with a double double scoring 23 points along with 12 rebounds. Anthony Sears had 20 for the ball game and Casey Fox had 19.

Justin Boutilier had to leave the the game after playing just 6 minutes with bruised ribs.

The Axemen get another shot at a Top 10 team, the #3 Ranked St. FX X-Men come to Wolfville for Canjun's Jam the Gym night on Friday.

Highlights vs. CBU

AUS Heats Up, Acadia St. FX Down to the Wire

The fans at the jam packed Oland Centre Gymnasium were treated to exciting AUS basketball last night. The continuous up and down pace of both teams showcased athleticism and talent with the basketball. Back and forth at each other all night, each team responding to any run by the other. Some key plays down the stretch by POY candidate T-Bear Upshaw sealed the deal for the #3 ranked X-men who eventually took the game by a score of 81-72.

A hot start by the Axemen saw them leading after the 1st quarter 19-17. A few missed opportunities early on hindered the Axemen from creating some early separation from their counterpart X-men. The pace of the second quarter slowed some as they X-men fell back into a zone in hopes to contain the transition offense of the Axemen. The teams went into halftime with the X-men leading 37-35.

Despite the Axemen shooting a poor percentage in the second half 2-11 from 3 and 58% from the free throw line, their relentless attack on the offensive glass kept them in the game all second half. The Axemen were a driven bunch in their pursuit for the basketball all night long. Bodies were hitting the floor, and a constant battle for loose balls displayed how much was on the line for both teams.

The final quarter began with the X-men up 5 over the Axemen and stretched to 7 with under 4 minutes remaining. After an Axemen time out, Acadia went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 1 at 71-70. T-bear then took his team on his shoulders and hit a well defended 3 pointer to push the lead back to 4. After an offensive foul with less than 2 minutes called on an aggressive play to the basket by Axemen forward Justin Boutilier, the momentum was swung to the X-men. Upshaw capitalized hitting another 3 pointer with the shot clock winding down to seal the victory for the X-men.

All 5 starters for the Axemen were in double digits scoring, led by Casey Fox with 17. Boutilier registered his first double double of the season scoring 11 points and ripping down 15 rebounds. Freshman point guard Anthony Sears had another solid effort with flashes of all-conference type play down the stretch with dazzling passing plays and sharp shooting to help keep his team in it to the end.

Upshaw led the X-men with 24 points on 4-6 shooting from behind the arc.

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Axemen Play Tough, but Lose 2nd Straight to Tigers

Sunday afternoon at the War Memorial Gymnasium in Wolfville was a defensive battle between two teams who laid in all on the floor. Points were tough to come by, with each one being earned by both teams. The Tigers emerged as the victor on this day with a score of 64-59.

The game started much the same as their last meeting on Friday, uptempo and points being scored in transition. The Axemen jumped out to a 11-5 lead and were unable to convert on a few easy buckets to stretch their lead further in the first quarter. The Tigers settled down and saw the first quarter end all knotted up at 17.

The second quarter is where both defenses started to quick in. There was a five minute stretch where both teams put the clamps down and offense was hard to come by. Halftime had the tigers leading by 6, 34-28.

The Tigers extended their lead in the 3rd quarter stretching it to 11 at one point. The Axemen responded with a run of their own, stringing together consecutive stops and cut it to 3 at the end of the 3rd quarter.

The score was tied at at 53-53 with 6 minutes remaining in the game. The final minutes did prove to be exciting game, the Axemen were within 2 points with 11.2 seconds remaining. Key free throws by the Tigers sealed the game and send the Axemen to 4-4 in league play.

Simon Farine had 28 points for the Tigers, while Casey Fox led the Axemen with 20.

The Axemen head to St. FX this Friday night for a tilt with the #3 ranked X-men.


View Highlights:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AkTG7uXDCI

Axemen Fall to Tigers

Simon Farine scored 26 points, Dal had 15 offensive rebounds and the Axemen fell 78-59 last night to the Tigers at the Dalplex.

The pace of the game was fast and up and down in the early going with the end of the first quarter showing Dal leading 20-16. Early foul trouble for Casey Fox forced him to the bench in the first half and the Axemen were held to 13 second quarter points. They headed into the locker room down 10 at half.

The Tigers came out in the third quarter and stretched their lead scoring on 2 consecutive possessions and held the Axemen scoreless in the stretch. The relentless Axemen did not go away easily as they clawed their way back into the game cutting the lead to 7 going into the final quarter. They were able to string stops together and get solid offensive possessions.

The Axemen had an opportunity to convert on some easy baskets early on in the final quarter, however they did not capitalize which told the story for the rest of the game, as they only scored 11 fourth quarter points.

Despite his early foul trouble Casey Fox led the Axemen with 18 points while Alex Traikov followed with 11 points. Bright spot for the Axemen was freshman point guard Anthony Sears who played 40 minutes looking like he is settling into his role as the teams general, also having very good game defensively.

View the game highlights.




The Axemen are back on the floor to play the Tigers at home on Sunday at 3:00pm.