X-Men hold off Panthers for 90-85 win

By Thomas Becker

Sunday's hard-fought contest between the UPEI Panthers and St. FX X-Men is proof that the AUS title is truly up for grabs. 

In a conference that's jam-packed with teams in the middle jockeying for position, it was the X-Men (8-6) who came out on top 90-85 and secured four points in the standings to put them in a tie for second place.

Fifth-year guard Justin Andrew was determined to pull out the road win, as he led all scorers with 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting. He also added four assists, four rebounds and two steals. Dondre Reddick provided a lift off the bench with 20 points and three rebounds, while Avan Nava scored 11 in a starting role. 

UPEI's Elijah Miller led the charge the other way with a team-high 25 points to go along with four rebounds. Glen Cox finished with 22 points and six boards, while Isaiah Ankra had another solid performance off the bench with 10 points, three assists, three rebounds and two steals.

The story early in the game was Andrew, who got off to a strong start with two triples to give his team an early 9-4 lead. UPEI (7-5) kept pace with St. FX thanks to Ankra, who came off the bench and made an immediate impact. After connecting on a pair of mid-range jumpers, the rookie guard found Jonas Kessler inside for the layup to keep it close at 16-12. The X-Men led 22-20 after one with Andrew leading all scorers with nine.

The three-point shot continued to fall for the X-Men early in the second quarter, when Reddick connected on a pair followed by another from Bennett Grumbach, as the lead grew to 33-23.

Looking to get back in the game, the Panthers decided to attack the basket for some easy points. They managed to go on a 9-3 run with a series of layups and free throws to cut the deficit to 36-32.

Both teams traded baskets the rest of the half, where St. FX led 47-41. Andrew continued to torch the Panthers in the quarter and had 19 points at the break on 7-of-11 shooting, including four three-pointers. As a team, the X-Men shot 9-of-16 from distance in the first 20 minutes of action.

After St. FX made it a 10-point game, Cox stepped up for the Panthers scoring five of the next seven points to inch his team closer 53-48. 

Cox gave UPEI the lead moments later on a layup at the 5:30 mark of the third quarter. Miller followed that up with a three-pointer before Cox when up-and-under for another layup, as their lead grew to 61-57. Miller then scored seven straight for his team and made sure they'd take a lead into the fourth. 

That 69-66 advantage didn't last very long though, as the X-Men started the fourth on a 9-2 run to pull in front 75-71, forcing the opposing team to call a timeout. The Panthers made it a one-point game on two occasions, but couldn't find the go-ahead basket when they needed it most, as St. FX held on for the 90-85 win.

The Panthers return to action March 11 and 12 when they travel to St. John's, Newfoundland to take on the Memorial Sea-Hawks.

Photo Credit: Janessa Hogan