Chisholm's career night leads Panthers to 87-75 win over Huskies

By Thomas Becker

Sam Chisholm's career night fuelled the UPEI Panthers to a commanding 87-75 win over the Saint Mary's Huskies Saturday night.

Chisholm was nearly unstoppable, tallying a personal-best 24 points on an efficient 9-of-11 shooting while adding three assists, three rebounds, and three steals.

"I'm just making sure I'm being aggressive each time I'm on the floor," said Chisholm, who's averaging career-highs in points (15.0), field goal percentage (55%), and three-point percentage (47.4%). "We knew we had to get this one to make it a 2-0 weekend, so I knew I needed to come out strong and do whatever I could to help us get it done." 

Kyree Thompson continued his hot streak off the bench, contributing 21 points and three rebounds. Kamari Scott was equally impactful, finishing with 17 points, six boards, and two assists. The Panthers' defensive effort was spearheaded by Daniel Gonzalez Longarela, who limited Huskies' forward Eliel Nsoseme to just 11 points and four rebounds after he entered the weekend with three double-doubles in four games.

Saint Mary's (2-4) received a team-high 18 points from Jasha'juan Downey, while Jayrell Diggs chipped in 16 points, six assists, and two steals.

After the game, Panthers head coach Darrell Glenn praised his centre's growth, highlighting how he's become the team's defensive anchor in the paint.

"Dani came back 20-25 pounds lighter, and it's made a huge difference in his ability to move up and down the court," Glenn said. "Defensively, he's taken a major step forward, and offensively, he's playing with much more confidence. He's improved in every aspect of his game, and I've been really impressed with his development."

The opening quarter was a tightly contested battle, with both teams trading blows early. Tjark Lademacher's three-pointer four minutes in gave the Huskies an 11-8 edge, but Chisholm quickly answered with a tough contested layup and a smooth floater off his own missed free throw to put UPEI (4-2) ahead 12-11. The Huskies responded with an 8-0 run, capped off by back-to-back layups from Jayrell Diggs. Refusing to back down, Thompson sparked the Panthers with a step-back jumper that tied the game at 21. By the end of the first quarter, UPEI led 23-21, thanks largely to Chisholm's dominant 10-point effort. 

"Sam's battled several injuries over the years, but now fans are finally seeing the true Sam Chisholm," Glenn said. "He's a guy who can get us points, and I recruited him because of his scoring ability."

UPEI opened the second quarter strong, extending their lead to 27-21 with an Owen Smith pull-up jumper and a Scott putback. However, the Huskies roared back with an 11-4 run, fuelled by Downey's five straight points, cutting the deficit to 33-32. Saint Mary's briefly took the lead, but Chisholm responded in style, converting a tough and-one layup to swing momentum back to the Panthers, who held a narrow 44-43 advantage at halftime.

UPEI came out firing in the third quarter, igniting an 11-2 run that set the tone for the second half. A Scott three-pointer got things rolling, followed by a highlight steal-and-score sequence from Chisholm that electrified the crowd. The Huskies fought back briefly with back-to-back triples from Downey and Diggs, cutting into the lead. However, UPEI's depth proved too much. A Hugo Bermejo tip-in and a Thompson layup pushed the lead back to 61-53, before Thompson capped off the quarter in dramatic fashion with a buzzer-beating three-pointer, sending the Panthers into the final frame with a 68-60 advantage. 

The Panthers opened the final quarter with authority, as Tarrence Booker drilled a three-pointer to stretch the lead to 71-60. UPEI kept their foot on the gas, with back-to-back triples from Grant Schell and Chisholm widening the gap to 77-64. They continued to dominate down the stretch, building their largest lead of the game—18 points—when Gonzalez Longarela scored on a smooth layup with under two minutes remaining, all but sealing the win.

The Panthers, now on a two-game win streak, aim to carry their momentum into Friday night's matchup against the Cape Breton Capers. Meanwhile, the Huskies return to Halifax for a Saturday night clash with the UNB Reds.

Photo Credit: Janessa Vanden Broek