Antigonish, NS - The U SPORTS No. 1 ranked UPEI Panthers defeated the StFX X-Women on Saturday evening in Antigonish by a score of 81-55.
The Panthers were quick out of the gate with 27 first quarter points. Veteran guard Lauren Rainford (Toronto, ON) scored 16 points. The Panther defence was equally impressive as they forced the X-Women into low percentage shots. Second chance points for the X-Women were few and far between as Carolina Del Santo (Barcelona, Spain) secured eight rebounds, which led to numerous points in transition.
Tyra Atherley (LaSalle, ON) made her first start for the X-Women and showed great energy on both sides of the ball and finished up with a team high 13 points.
The second quarter was one in which Panthers floor general Reese Baxendale (Apohaqui, NB) controlled the pace of the game as Coach Matt Gamblin made use of his bench. Baxendale ensured all players were involved in the offensive sets and while Panthers only managed 17 points, the process remained impressive.
For the X-Women, Elizabeth Kennedy (Richmond, BC) refused to be awed by the prowess of the Panthers. She was confident with the ball and committed on the defensive end. The Panthers led at the halftime break 44-22.
The X-Women came out for the third quarter with a renewed sense of purpose and matched the Panthers point for point. The forward play of both Tyra Atherley and Kimberly Kingsbury (Nepean, ON) was impressive as they combined for 13 points, but their aggression on the floor was equal in value.
The final quarter was one in which both teams made full use of their rosters. While the Panthers were not quite at full stride after the half-way mark, they showed their championship credentials as they finished with a 20-point final quarter.
The X-Women, though on the wrong side of the score-line, showed a competitive spirit and will no doubt make good use of lessons learned as they battle for a play-off spot after the Christmas break.
Baxendale ended with a game high 25 points for the Panthers and was named Subway player of the game. She also had a double-double night hauling in 13 rebounds.
Lauren Rainford (Toronto, ON) scored 24 while Del Santo had a big game defensively with 18 rebounds.
Tyra Atherley had a double-double game for the X-Women with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Kingsbury netted 11 and had five boards.
The game marked the final one of the first half of the season for both squads as they break for the holidays, returning to AUS competition in January.
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Courtesy Bart Sears, STFX Sports Information