Panthers tie it late, Jackson takes over in final minutes

By Thomas Becker

The UPEI Panthers refused to fade Friday night, clawing back from double-digit deficits and pulling even late. But AUS MVP DJ Jackson slammed the door, scoring the final eight points as the St. FX X-Men held on for an 86-78 win at the Chi Wan Young Sport Centre.

UPEI (8-12) spent much of the night chasing, slipping into a 20-12 deficit after one as St. FX (16-3) capitalized on early turnovers and established control inside. The Panthers countered an 8-2 opening push with assertive finishes from Hugo Bermejo, Nicolas Gonzalez Longarela and Cameron Brown to briefly settle things, but the X-Men answered with a decisive 9-0 run to restore separation and seize momentum heading into the second. 

St. FX threatened to blow it open early in the quarter. A Phoenyx Wyse three punctuated an 8-0 surge and suddenly it was 28-12. But that's when UPEI settled in. Kyree Thompson knocked down a corner triple to stop the bleeding, then the Panthers chipped away with downhill attacks—Thompson and Bermejo converting back-to-back layups before Bermejo added another finish and two free throws. In a matter of minutes, a 16-point deficit was trimmed to five at 33-28. St. FX steadied late to carry a 42-31 edge into halftime, but the Panthers had re-established their footing and made it a game. 

The third quarter followed the same script: St. FX opened with a quick 5-0 push, but UPEI answered. An 8-2 run—capped by a Brown runout finish—cut it to 49-39, and Brown later muscled in an and-one as the Panthers kept closing the gap. Thompson's pair of threes late in the quarter brought the crowd back into it and had UPEI within four, 57-53, heading to the fourth.

The fourth quarter turned into a heavyweight exchange where UPEI kept absorbing punches and responding. Free throws from Thompson and Sam Chisholm steadied things, and every time St. FX threatened to create separation, the Panthers clawed back. With under two minutes to play, Abilash Surendran drilled a massive corner three off a Thompson assist to tie the game at 78 apiece.

But that's when the reigning MVP took over. 

Jackson attacked the rim for a go-ahead layup, rose up for a tough mid-range jumper on the next possession, then iced the game at the free-throw line. Eight straight points. Just like that, the margin was back to multiple possessions, and the comeback bid was out of reach as St. FX closed it out 86-78.

He finished with 24 points, while Wyse stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points and 13 rebounds and Owen Frayne added 13. 

For UPEI, Thompson led the way with 20 points, four assists and three triples. Brown delivered a massive double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Bermejo chipped in 12 points and four assists.

Photos by Janessa Vanden Broek