UPEI takes down Huskies 70-63 in Halifax

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Reese Baxendale scored 24 points and  Jenna Mae Ellsworth  added 20 to lead UPEI over SMU 70-63 on Friday night.  

Lauren Rainford (Toronto, ON) added seven points for the Panthers, who improve to 7-2 in Atlantic University Sport women's basketball action. 

SMU's Arianna Macias (Tampa, Florida) scored 10 of her game-high 19 points in the opening quarter as the Huskies jumped out to an eight-point lead and led 19-11 after 10 minutes. 

Baxendale (Sussex, NB) and Ellsworth (Charlottetown, PE) combined for 12 of UPEI's 23 points in the second quarter as the Panthers outscored SMU by 17 in the frame and led by nine, 34-25 at half. 

The Huskies chipped away at UPEI's lead in the third quarter, outscoring the Panthers by seven, 22-15 in the frame. Macias and Lucina Beaumont (Fredericton, NB) combined for 11 points in quarter and UPEI led by two, 49-47 after thirty minutes. 

Baxendale had 11 points in the final frame and a perfect 6-6 from the foul-line in a 21-point team effort for the Panthers in the quarter, as UPEI outscored SMU by five in the fourth and held on for the 70-63 victory. 

Beaumont finished with 12 points and Safiya Hurst (Markham, ON) scored 10 points off the bench for SMU, who drop to 5-4 in conference play. 

SMU's Clara Gascoigne (Dartmouth, NS) added eight points. 

Both teams return to action on Jan. 11 at 6 p.m. from the Homburg Centre. 

Recap by Dominic Nolasco, SMU 

Photo by Nick Pearce