Panthers edge Memorial in back-and-forth affair
The UPEI Panthers were able to defeat the Memorial Sea-Hawks with a score of 67-59 on Friday night.
ST. JOHN'S, NL—The UPEI Panthers were able to defeat the Memorial Sea-Hawks with a score of 67-59 on Friday night.
Karla Yepez opened the scoring for the UPEI Panthers in the first quarter, however the Sea-Hawks had a reply with 2 threes from Memorial's Rebecca Ekstrom and Hannah Green. Both teams exchanged baskets for most of the remainder of the first, until a late push by the Panthers, including a last-minute three from Lauren Rainford gave UPEI a one-point lead 16-15 to end the quarter.
The second quarter opened with more tight play, highlighted by a layup from Sea-Hawk Alyssa Jenkins at the beginning of the quarter and a 3-point shot by Sydney Cummins to give the Panthers a lead. Another three-point shot, this time from Memorial's Eavan McLaughlin, tied the score back up at 23 midway through the quarter, and the lead was traded back and forth several times, until layups from Lauren and Aiden Rainford in the final minute of play gave the Panthers a 34-30 lead to end the half.
Lauren Rainford led all scorers at the half with 13 points, while Samantha Zoffranieri got 7 for the Panthers.
On the Sea-Hawks side, Rebecca Ekstrom led the team with 9 points, shooting 50% from the 3-point line. Hannah Green had 8 points at the half and Alyssa Jenkins put up 6 for the team.
A 7-0 run from the Panthers began the second half, extending their lead to 11. A layup from Memorial's Alyssa Jenkins ended that run, and the Sea-Hawks went on their own 6-0 run to keep the game close. Two free throws by Rebecca Ekstrom as well as a 3-pointer put the Sea-Hawks ahead late in the quarter, however Lauren Rainford had a reply for the Panthers and they were able to pull ahead yet again to hold a 49-46 lead heading into the final quarter.
Back-and-forth play opened the fourth quarter, with the Panthers able to keep the score in their favour. The Sea-Hawks were able to come within 3 points of the lead, however in the final minute of play the Panthers were able to pull ahead by 7 points in the final minute of the game, helped by a jump shot from Aiden Rainford, and the Panthers went on to win the game 67-59.
The Subway Player of the game for the Panthers was Lauren Rainford, who had 21 points and 5 rebounds. Aiden Rainford put up 17 points, while Karla Yepez had 9.
On the Sea-Hawks side, Rebecca Ekstrom had a game-high 23 points. Hannah Green had 14 points as well as 7 rebounds, and Alyssa Jenkins had a solid game with 13 points. Graduating seniors Gabrielle Roche and Ines Salat Margarit also had good performances in one of their final games as Sea-Hawks. Roche led the team with 12 rebounds, while Salat-Margarit led the team in assists with 4.
The two teams will play again tomorrow at 12:00pm NST in their final game of the regular season.
RECAP BY: Olivia Ryan, Memorial Sports Information / PHOTOS BY: Udantha Chandre
