Panthers handle X-Men in season opener

CHARLOTTETOWN - The StFX X-Men (0-1) opened the AUS basketball regular season with a lopsided 102-71 loss to the UPEI Panthers (1-0) Friday night. 

After the teams played to a 23-23 tie in the first quarter, the Panthers blew the game open in the second with a 33-9 scoring advantage. UPEI took a 56-32 lead to the locker room at halftime.

Tyler Scott (Halifax, NS) scored a game-high 32 points for UPEI, while chipping in four rebounds and four assists.

Bradley States (Bathurst, NB) and Lorenzo Parker (New Minas, NS) meshed 15 points apiece for the winners. States added seven rebounds, six steals and three assists.

Milorad Sedlarevic (Vesenice, Slovenia) also hit double digits with 11 points, while contributing six assists, three rebounds and one blocked shot.

For the X-Men, Tristen Ross (Truro, NS) came off the bench to score a team-high 14 points, including 12 from three-point range. Forward Kevin Bercy (Kanata, ON) collected 13 points, while adding nine rebounds.

Ross added two rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Bercy also chipped in one assist and one steal.

Julius Antoine (Woodbridge, ON) contributed nine points, seven rebounds, four steals and two assists.

The Panthers hit half their shots from the field (50 percent), while the X-Men finished at 36.9 per cent from the floor.

The X-Men had 28 turnovers, compared to 20 for the Panthers.

The teams will be back in action Saturday, Nov. 7 for the second game of a weekend doubleheader. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.

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