Panthers’ offence runs wild in 102-88 win over Capers

By Thomas Becker

The UPEI Panthers are on a winning streak.

The Panthers (6-6) reached the century mark Saturday night, as they defeated the Cape Breton Capers 102-88 for their second consecutive win—the first time they reached the feat this season. 

The final score wasn't nearly indicative of a game largely controlled by the Panthers, whose largest lead was 31. UPEI used a balanced attack with five players reaching double figures, including Kamari Scott, who finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Jace Colley added 16 points, seven rebounds, four blocks, and two assists in just 16 minutes off the bench. Cameron Brown and Sam Chisholm each had 15 points on a combined 12-of-17 shooting while also causing chaos on the defensive end. Brown finished with six blocks, while Chisholm had five steals. Daniel Gonzalez Longarela recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. 

It was easily UPEI's best performance on offence this season, as they shot a blistering 59.1 per cent from the field and logged a season-high 20 assists. 

"Because of our stops early, I thought we were able to get out in transition and hurt them," said Panthers head coach Darrell Glenn. "We were able to create easy baskets for ourselves all night and it reflected on the scoreboard."

On the other side, Cape Breton's Shakael Pryce led all scorers with 22 points. Aaron Cunningham finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, and five steals, while Mitchell Mersereau had 12 points and eight rebounds. Tyson Cato also reached double figures with 10 points.

The Panthers' defence came to play from the opening tip. After the two teams traded baskets in an early 8-8 stalemate, UPEI held their opponent scoreless for close to five minutes, allowing them to open up a 21-10 advantage. Scott and Longarela scored six apiece as the Panthers took the first quarter 25-12. 

Their aggressive defence carried over into the second quarter, leading to runouts and easy layups. After Cape Breton (6-6) scored the first two points, the Panthers scored on five consecutive layups to extend the lead to 20, 36-16. Moments later, Brown drilled a three-pointer before slamming home a dunk to push the lead to 55-28. The Capers managed to cut into the deficit but still trailed at the break, 60-39. Brown led all scorers with 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting, while Scott, Chisholm and Colley also reached double figures after just 20 minutes of action.

After a quiet start to his season, Brown has emerged as the gamechanger he was brought in to be. Since the turn of the New Year, the sophomore forward has averaged 12.0 points on 56 per cent shooting with 7.0 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks.

"I just need to be more aggressive and look for my shots within the offence. I feel I have the skillset to impact the team," Brown said. "On defence, I have to keep doing what I'm doing—being quick in rotations, being vocal, and bringing the energy."

UPEI opened the second half with layups from Chisholm, Longarela and Scott to make it a 66-39 game. Shortly after, Daren Clarke picked off an inbound pass and went up for the uncontested layup, which put the Panthers ahead by 30. The Capers made a run late, but it wasn't nearly enough to make for a compelling fourth quarter.

Up big, 85-59, the Panthers laid off the gas, resulting in a sloppy fourth quarter that saw Cape Breton outscore their opponent 29-17. But with the game well in hand, head coach Matt Skinn didn't take any chances with his key players and went deep to his bench to close it out, as they fell 102-88.

The Panthers travel to Antigonish, where they will take on the St. FX X-Women for a weekend doubleheader beginning Saturday. Meanwhile, the Capers travel to Halifax for a two-game set against the Saint Mary's Huskies starting on Friday.

Photo Credit: Janessa Vanden Broek