Huskies clamp down late to stay unbeaten, top Panthers 78-67

By Thomas Becker

The Saint Mary's Huskies unleashed a fourth-quarter defensive clinic to surge past the UPEI Panthers 78-67, preserving their unbeaten streak and cementing their dominance at 5-0.

Clara Gascoigne was spectacular, delivering a stat-stuffing performance with 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting, eight rebounds, seven assists, six steals, and a block. Lucina Beaumont added a dominant double-double, tallying 18 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks. Aki Kobayashi chipped in 13 points, five assists, four steals, and three boards, while Aliyah Fraser provided clutch perimeter shooting with 12 points, including four three-pointers.

UPEI (3-2)—led by Lauren Rainford's 15 points and six rebounds—pushed Saint Mary's for three quarters but struggled offensively in the fourth, scoring just eight points on 25 per cent shooting while committing 11 turnovers. Grace Lancaster contributed 10 points, eight rebounds, and two steals, while Sydney Lawlor gave the Panthers a boost off the bench, scoring 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc. 

Saint Mary's came out firing, opening the game on a 13-2 run, with Beaumont scoring five of those points. UPEI fought back late in the quarter, as Lancaster scored five straight points to cut the deficit to 17-9. Samantha Zoffranieri's three-pointer made it a one-point game at 17-16, but the Huskies edged ahead 23-20 after one, fueled by Beaumont's nine points.

The Panthers found their rhythm in the second quarter and took off. Rainford poured in 10 points during the frame, including a critical bucket at the 3:15 mark to give UPEI its first lead of the game, 29-28. 

Lawlor went off midway through the quarter, as the third-year guard connected on three consecutive triples to extend UPEI's lead to 40-33. However, the Huskies clawed back, with a Beaumont three and Gascoigne's tough layup narrowing the gap to 42-38. At halftime, the Panthers held a slim 44-40 advantage. 

Gascoigne ignited the Huskies in the third, opening the quarter with back-to-back three-pointers to tie the game at 46 apiece. Moments later, Beaumont's backdoor cut led to a layup that gave Saint Mary's a 48-46 lead. Shortly after, a Fraser triple and a Beaumont layup extended their lead to 55-49, but UPEI responded with a 7-0 run capped off by a Zoffranieri three-pointer to reclaim the lead at 56-55. The teams traded blows to close the quarter, which ended deadlocked at 59-59.

However, the fourth quarter belonged to the Huskies. Both teams struggled to score early in the frame, but Fraser's timely three-pointer broke the tie and gave Saint Mary's a 62-59 edge. Gascoigne's defensive brilliance followed as she recorded two consecutive steals that led to easy layups, pushing the Huskies' lead to 69-61. Fraser sealed the win with her fourth triple of the game, making it 75-65 with just over a minute remaining.

The two teams will battle it out again Saturday evening at 4 p.m.

Photo Credit: Janessa Vanden Broek