V-Reds Suffer First Loss
UNB and UPEI split weekend series
(CHARLOTTETOWN, PE) The UPEI Panthers offence caught fire in the third quarter Saturday, lifting the host team to a 73-57 win over the UNB Varsity Reds.
The Panthers outscored the V-Reds 26-13 in third.
Kiera Rigby(Charlottetown, PE), Jenna Mae Ellsworth(Charlottetown, PE) and rookie Reese Baxendale(Sussex, NB) combined to score 52 points to lead their team.
"What we got was a great team effort," said Panthers head coach Greg Gould. "We kept pushing the basketball and got it to the hot hand."
UNB raced out to an early 8-0 lead.
The Panthers responded with a 7-0 run of their own.
The V-Reds led 29-27 at the half.
UPEI came out of the break and used a quick 8-0 run to jump ahead 35-29.
"Everyone was clicking," said Rigby, who flirted with a triple-double, scoring 20 points with eight boards and eight assists. "Everyone was into it, everyone was going to the boards, everyone was feeling good and once we hit a shot, it just kept flowing for us."
"We had a meeting this morning and we realized we just needed to be tougher and I thought we were tonight," said Gould.
The win is the first of the season for the Panthers.
UNB is now 3-1 on the season.
The Varsity Reds visit Saint Mary's for two games next weekend, while UPEI travels to Cape Breton.
RECAP AND PHOTOS BY: Thomas Becker/for UPEI Athletics