Second-quarter run sends UNB past UPEI 82-64
For a quarter and a half, the UPEI Panthers had UNB right where they wanted them—trading stops, trading baskets, and playing with the kind of edge needed to beat the Reds.
By Thomas Becker
For a quarter and a half, the UPEI Panthers had UNB right where they wanted them—trading stops, trading baskets, and playing with the kind of edge needed to beat the Reds.
Then the game tilted, fast. UNB (9-5) closed the half on a crushing run and never looked back in an 82-64 win Friday night at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre.
UPEI (5-9) weathered an early push and settled into the game behind strong ball pressure and timely scoring. Kyree Thompson got downhill early, Owen Smith knocked down a jumper, and Tarrence Booker capped the opening quarter with a late three as the Panthers carried a 17-15 edge into the second.
The middle of the second quarter was where the momentum faded. After Matt Magnan drilled a three to make it 29-25 with just over four minutes remaining, the building buzzed with belief. Instead, UNB flipped the script. Led by all-star Marcus Barnes, the Reds ripped off a 20-6 run to close the half, turning a four-point deficit into a commanding 45-35 lead at the break. Barnes scored eight points during the surge, attacking gaps and punishing UPEI turnovers as the visitors seized control.
That run proved decisive.
Any hopes of a second-half push were quickly muted coming out of the locker room. UNB opened the third quarter with purpose, spacing the floor and knocking down shots in rhythm. Back-to-back threes from Mark Tobin and Eden Otshudi stretched the lead to 62-42 midway through the frame, forcing the Panthers to chase the game.
UNB's balance was the difference. The Reds scored 42 points in the paint, won the turnover battle when it mattered, and consistently found the right look before UPEI could reset.
To UPEI's credit, the Panthers didn't fold. They won the fourth quarter 16-15 and showed some fight down the stretch, but the damage was done in that decisive middle stretch where UNB seized control.
Tobin led the Reds with 18 points, while Barnes added 17 and Otshudi chipped in 13. Conner Landell controlled the glass with 11 rebounds, and Ben Power provided a spark with 11 points off the bench, including three triples.
For UPEI, Smith paced the Panthers with 18 points, Thompson finished with 12, and Magnan had eight in limited minutes.
UPEI will try to solve the UNB puzzle again in the rematch Saturday at 4 p.m.
Photos by Janessa Vanden Broek
