Elijah Miller dishes out career-high 15 assists in 91-79 win over UNB
Electrifying point guard Elijah Miller had a hand in 57 points as the UPEI Panthers took down the UNB Reds 91-79 Friday night.
By Thomas Becker
Electrifying point guard Elijah Miller had a hand in 57 points as the UPEI Panthers took down the UNB Reds 91-79 Friday night.
The future AUS all-star finished with a game-high 24 points and a career-best 15 assists (which led to 33 points), while adding seven steals in a dominant effort. Miller consistently carved up the Reds' defence and created several open looks for teammates, leading to UPEI's impressive 59.7 per cent shooting on the night.
"Elijah's a special player," said Panthers head coach Darrell Glenn. "He just makes the game easier for himself and everybody else. We're fortunate to have him.
"We thought with our quickness if we're able to get the ball moving from one side of the floor to the other and create long closeouts that we could capitalize on our dribble penetration. And I thought we did a good job of that tonight."
Glen Cox benefitted greatly from Miller's ability to create off the dribble, as he added 23 points off the bench on a perfect 10-for-10 from the field. Veteran guard Dakelle Brooks closed out the victory in the fourth quarter where he scored six of his 17 points.
The Reds (5-5) also had three players who reached double figures, including a team-high 20 points from Chris Spurell. Fellow starter Ibrahima Doumbouya finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Corey Nzigamasabo scored 12 off the bench.
Each Panther starter found the scoresheet in opening minutes of a 10-10 game. After Miller drilled a nifty pull-up jumper, the sophomore guard found Isaiah Ankra in the corner for an open three to pull his team ahead 19-10.
The Reds closed the quarter on a 12-8 run, thanks to Nzigamasabo's contribution off the bench. He scored six of those 12 points to make it 27-22 after one.
The back-and-forth affair continued throughout the second, where UNB whittled into the deficit. After Miller scored six straight for the Panthers, Haany Ahmed converted an and-one before Doumbouya connected on a triple and a lay-in to pull UNB in front 36-35.
The Panthers' (6-4) commitment to ball movement paid off in the final minutes of the half when they capped off a 14-5 run with three-pointers from Jayden McMullen and Cox. Miller neared a first half double-double with 14 points and nine assists, while UNB's Doumbouya countered with 11.
"I knew their (UNB's) game plan was to load up on me when I drove to the basket," Miller said. "I had to be unselfish and trust that my teammates would hit the open shots."
And that's exactly what they did. McMullen continued where he left off and converted a three-point play the old-fashioned way to give the home team an 11-point advantage. However, Doumbouya kept the Reds afloat by scoring four points in a 6-2 run to trim the deficit to 55-49.
The Reds closed to within four, but three straight layups the other way extended UPEI's lead 63-53. Miller scored five of his team's next seven points, as the home team went into the fourth ahead 72-59.
UNB put a small dent into the lead early in the fourth, but the Panthers responded like they did the entire game. Brooks secured the win by scoring six points in a 13-3 run to push their advantage to 85-68 before coming away with the 91-79 win.
Miller spoke after the game about how an energetic home crowd gave them a lift each time their lead shrunk to within a few points.
"The game today was amazing. The fans were loud, which gave us a lot of energy and helped us put this game away."
The Panthers return to the court February 25 when they take on the Dalhousie Tigers. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.
Photo Credit: Janessa Hogan
