The Memorial Sea-Hawks opened the 2017 Atlantic University Sport varsity men’s basketball season with two losses to the Acadia Axeman.
With 4.2 seconds left on the clock and trailing 78-77, Acadia’s Nick De Palma sent nearly 1,000 fans into a frenzy with a three-point basket to seal the deal with an 80-78 win over the visiting Sea-Hawks in the season opener for both sides.
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Corner Brook’s Nathan Barker, in his sophomore season, collected 11 points and six rebounds in 33 minutes of floor time for the Sea-Hawks, while fellow sophomore Chris Dobbin of Corner Brook had two points and two rebounds in 12 minutes coming off the bench.
Daniel Gordon led the Sea-Hawks with 20 points off the bench and Padraig Dawe threw in 18 points in a losing cause.
No last-minute heroics required for the Axemen in the second game Sunday as Erik Nissen drained a game-high 24 points to lead the charge in a 76-65 win that the home team dominated from start to finish.
Gordon, for the second game in a row, was the top scorer for the Sea-Hawks with a 16-point performance.
Barker supported the cause with three points and one rebound in 22 minutes, while Dobbin was effective with eight points and four rebounds in 20 minutes.
The Sea-Hawks will host the defending AUS champions Dalhousie Tigers Saturday night at the Field House in St. John’s. The second game of the two-game series is slated for Sunday.
