Panthers hold off X-Men's rally for gritty 86-82 victory

By Thomas Becker

The UPEI Panthers survived a furious second-half rally from the St. FX X-Men to secure a hard-fought 86-82 victory on Saturday night.

UPEI appeared to be in complete control early, building a commanding 22-point lead late in the second quarter. However, the X-Men slowly chipped away at the deficit, even briefly taking the lead early in the fourth quarter. The Panthers responded with a strong closing stretch, outscoring St. FX 15-9 in the final 6:32 to come away with the win. 

The Panthers showcased their depth with six players reaching double figures. Nicolas Gonzalez Longarela led the way with a career-high 15 points and four rebounds, stepping up after his brother, Daniel Gonzalez Longarela, who was ejected after just 10 minutes of play. Despite his early exit, Daniel still contributed 14 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Sam Chisholm also had 14 points, while Hugo Bermejo and Kyree Thompson each added 11. Kamari Scott stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

For the X-Men, DJ Jackson put together a monster performance with 22 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks. Keyonte Beals matched his scoring output with 22 points while adding four rebounds and two blocks. Gatluak James contributed 13 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, while Koat Thomas also reached double figures with 11 points and seven boards. 

The game started as a back-and-forth affair, but UPEI took control late in the first quarter. A putback lay-in from Daniel gave the Panthers a 13-10 lead, and from that point, they went on a dominant 20-6 run. A Bermejo three-pointer followed by an Owen Smith triple at the 7:29 mark extended the lead to 27-14. Shortly after, a layup from Nicolas doubled the lead to 32-16, as the Panthers finished the first quarter up 33-16.

The second quarter saw both teams trading baskets in the early minutes. UPEI extended its lead to 22 points at the 5:32 mark after Smith knocked down three consecutive free throws. However, St. FX responded with an 8-0 run, capped off by a Bennett Grumbach three, to trim the deficit to 46-30 heading into halftime.

The X-Men stormed out of the locker room with a 9-0 run to open the third quarter, quickly cutting the deficit to single digits at 52-44. Jackson and Beals continued to lead the charge, as a Beals' three-pointer at the 3:08 mark made it a four-point game at 59-55.

Ahead by just two, Chisholm connected on a big triple before a Bermejo layup extended the lead to 69-62 going into the fourth.

St. FX kept its momentum rolling into the fourth quarter, as Beals drained back-to-back threes and Jackson finished inside to give the X-Men their first lead since the opening quarter at 70-69. The teams continued to trade blows, but UPEI held firm, closing the game on a decisive 15-9 run. Thompson's clutch layup and fadeaway jumper in the final moments sealed the win for the Panthers. 

UPEI will now turn its attention to the UNB Reds, whom they will host next Friday night.

Photo Credit: Janessa Vanden Broek