By RENALDO DORSETT
Tribune Sports Reporter
rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
SHAMAR Burrows and the defending Atlantic University Sport champion Dalhousie Tigers began their 2022-23 campaign on a winning note with back-to-back wins on opening weekend.
The versatile guard displayed his skillset on both ends of the floor in wins over the University of New Brunswick Red Bombers in New Brunswick, Canada.
In game one, Burrows flirted with a rare quadruple double and finished with eight points, eight rebounds, seven assists and seven steals in the Tigers’ 70-67 win at UNB’s Richard J Currie Center.
The Red led 23-16 at the end of the first and maintained a 38-34 lead at the half.
Sparked by a Burrows layup and assist on consecutive possessions, the Tigers opened the second half on a 9-0 run to take the lead and eventually outscored the Tigers 22-10 in the period. Dalhousie took a 60-48 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Reds had one final run to get back into contention.
In the fourth, UNB used a 15-2 run to go up 63-62 with less than four minutes to play. A last second game-tying three from the Reds was waved off as the Tigers held on for the opening night win.
Game two was a much more decisive win as the Tigers dominated 90-65.
Burrows finished with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals in the rout.
The Reds made six three pointers in the first quarter to open the game on a 20-8 run before the Tigers responded with a 13-5 run to trim the deficit, 25-21.
Trailing by 10 early in the second, 31-21, Dalhousie responded with another run. Tied at 35, they closed the final five minutes of the half on a 17-3 run to take a 52-38 lead at intermission and eventually, a 76-52 lead into the fourth as the game was out of reach.
The Tigers will continue their season against the Saint Mary’s Huskies on Thursday.
Burrows led the Tigers in scoring in five preseason games and posted three doubles.
The Tigers concluded their 2021-22 season with a fifth place finish overall at the U Sports Men’s Basketball Final 8. In three Final Eight games, he averaged 12.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
On the season, Burrows was named a second team AUS All-Star.
He finished third in scoring for Dalhousie, averaging 14.8 points per game shooting 73 percent. He also led the Tigers in rebounding with 6.7 boards per game.
Burrows’ numbers have progressed across the board since he transferred to the Tigers programme in 2018.
In his first season he averaged just 3.3 points in 19 appearances off the bench and in year two progressed to 8.8 points and four rebounds per game in 20 appearances with six starts.
Following the COVID-19 cancelled 2020 season, he averaged career highs last season with 14.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
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