The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Azaro Roker continues to post conference leading numbers in the Atlantic University Sport and led his St Francis Xavier X-Men to a crucial win to move into second place as the regular season winds down.

Roker was named the “Subway Player of the Game” with his 30 points and 20 rebounds in the X-Men’s 117-116 win over the Cape Breton Capers yesterday. They improved to 9-6 on the season, second in the AUS behind the Dalhousie Tigers who have already clinched a playoff spot at 13-1.

Roker shot 11-17 from the field and was a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line in 41 minutes. He had three points and four rebounds in the final overtime period alone. Following a defensive rebound, he opened the scoring in the second overtime by converting a three point play for a 106-103 lead. With the X-Men clinging to a 115-113 with less than 30 seconds left to play, Roker secured the rebound and dished it to teammate Avan Nava for an assist on a layup to put the game away.

Averaging a double double for the second consecutive year, Roker leads the AUS at 12.9 rebounds per game and is third in scoring at 17.1 points per game.

Last season he averaged 10 points per game and was a conference leader with 10 rebounds and two blocked shots per game. Roker and the X-Men were the No.5 seed in the AUS tournament last season, but were eliminated in the quarter-finals by the Capers. They look to improve in the final year of coach Steven Konchalski at the programme.

They previously scored the biggest upset of the Men’s U SPORTS college basketball season with a thrilling win over fellow Bahamians Shamar Burrows, Jordan Wilson and the No. 2 ranked Dalhousie Tigers.

The X-Men scored a 78-77 win to hand the Tigers their first loss of the season. Roker finished with another double double 11 points and 10 rebounds while Burrows scored seven points in just 10 minutes off the bench.

The X-Men pulled off the upset just days after a lopsided loss to the Tigers in the first game of the series, 97-54 in the first game of the series.

The Tigers clinched their playoff berth in the AUS tournament at 13-1 with an 83-74 win over the Capers. Wilson finished with 15 points while Burrows scored five in 18 minutes off the bench.

Last season, the Tigers finished the regular season 14-5, won the AUS Conference Championship (the fourth in five years) and finished fourth overall in the U Sports Final Eight.