Panthers win nail-biter over Reds in crucial four-point game

By Thomas Becker

It came down to free throws in the end. 

Down two with four seconds to spare, UPEI's Elijah Miller went up for a three-point shot and was fouled on the attempt. The third-year floor general stepped to the line and calmly connected on all three free throws to give his team a 49-48 lead. 

On the ensuing play, UNB's Norm Burry battled for an offensive rebound and was also fouled coming down with the ball. With a chance to tie or win the game, the Panther crowd did everything they could to rattle Burry, who missed both free throws in the end, as UPEI (10-4) came away with the hard-fought win.

Miller finished with a team-high 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Kamari Scott struggled from the field but still recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. 

Marcus Barnes led the Reds (5-10) with 20 points and seven rebounds, while Burry had 10 points and 12 rebounds. 

After the game, Miller talked about his mindset stepping up to the line for the three biggest free throws of his UPEI career so far.

"Knowing how big the game was, I had to have the mental toughness to go out there and knock them down," he said. "I just trusted my routine, took a breath and relaxed."

As for the win, Miller said it was big one, especially with how the last game ended between the two squads—a Hail Mary three for the Reds that sent the game to overtime where they later won.

"It's amazing," he said. "We lost four points on their court that we felt was stolen from us, and we wanted to get those points back."

The Panthers managed to get those four points Thursday night, but the game was anything but pretty. Each team shot below 30 per cent from the field and together combined to score 97 points.

After the game, Panthers head coach Darrell Glenn praised his team's defensive grit.

"I thought we played great defensively even when our shots weren't falling," Glenn said. "To come out of a game like that saying you won is a huge momentum boost."

Miller and Abilash Surendran got the Panthers going early as they combined for eight of the team's first 10 points in a 10-7 game.

UPEI was active on the defensive end throughout the quarter where they held UNB to just 21.1 per cent shooting on their way to an 18-14 lead after 10 minutes of play.

Both offences continued to struggle in the second quarter, but UPEI was a little bit better as they extended their lead to 28-21 by consistently attacking the basket. At the break, they led 31-25.

The Reds' defence came out of the break and shut down anything the Panthers wanted to do offensively. They held UPEI scoreless for nearly seven minutes allowing them to slowly whittle down the deficit before taking a 39-37 lead into the fourth quarter. 

The Panthers finally scored again midway through the fourth quarter where they trailed 41-39. 

Down six with 2:46 to play, Cameron Brown and Isaiah Ankra willed their way to the basket with back-to-back layups to make it a two-point game and forcing UNB into a timeout.

After the timeout, Miller and Eden Otshudi traded three-pointers before the game was decided by free throws. 

The Panthers take on the Saint Mary's Huskies next Friday at home, while the Reds travel to Wolfville this Saturday where they'll take on the Acadia Axemen.

Photo Credit: Janessa Hogan