Antigonish, NS - The StFX X-Men ended the first half of the season on a winning note as they defeated the UPEI Panthers by a score of 86-78 on Coach K Court on Saturday night.
The first quarter saw the X-Men fully dialled in on both sides of the court. David Muenkat (Brampton, ON) was excellent in the blue paint collecting four defensive rebounds. Dondre Reddick (Antigonish, NS) led the way with 12 points including two three-pointers to keep the X offence on the front foot.
The X-Men shot five of eight from beyond the arc with the Panthers only able to convert three of eleven opportunities. The score after the first quarter was 27-19.
The second quarter was a back and forth affair with the Panthers coming within touching distance only for the X-Men to extend their lead again. Elijah Miller (Rexdale, ON), excellent throughout the game, scored seven points, as he controlled the Panther offence and was superb on the defensive side of the ball.
The contributions off the bench from both teams kept the game moving at a quick tempo that entertained all those in attendance. Glen Cox (Scotsburn, NS) showed great athleticism to keep the X dynamic offence at bay and contributing four points for the Panther cause. At the half STFX led 47-37.
The third quarter the both teams' sharp shooters come to the fore and no doubt many X fans thought the X-Men would be the victims of the dreaded 10-point half-time lead curse.
The impressive Dakelle Brooks (East Preston, NS) hit eight points for the visitors as they whittled down the X lead to six points. However, when it comes to sharp shooters, the X-Men have a large posse. This evening, it was Avan Nava's (Mississauga, ON) turn to provide the necessary offense to secure victory and provided 11 of his 26 points to help keep the healthy lead.
The fourth quarter began well for the Panthers as Kamari Scott (Malton, ON) nailed a three early to put the Panthers behind by only four points. Alas, the Panthers would come no closer.
Both teams showed great stamina as the game remained fluid with both teams finding great success in playing pressure defence and scoring points in transition. First-year X-Men guard Matt Pennell (Saint John's, NL) pressure defence was at times too much for the Panthers and he helped instigate the transition points to secure the X-Men victory. Both teams combined for 47 points to make the final score 89-78.
Nava received Subway player of the game honours for his 26 point performance.
All five X-Men starters finished with double point tallies as Reddick scored 17 and had six rebounds, Muenkat had a double-double night with 12 points and 10 boards, and Antoine Vernon (Hamilton, ON) and Justin Andrew (Hamilton, ON) contributed 11 and 10 points respectively.
Miller was the top scorer for the Panthers with 17 points while Brooks and Jonas Kessler (Bergen, Vestlandet) each netted 14 and had seven rebounds apiece.
The game marked the final one on the schedule for 2021.
The X-Men will be competing at the Dalhousie Shoveller Classic exhibition tournament Dec. 29-31 in Halifax, with AUS regular season play resuming in January.
-30-
Courtesy Bart Sears, STFX Sports Information
Avan Nava picks up Subway Player of the Game with 26 pts in the X-Men's 89-78 win over UPEI! �� #goxgo #subwayfuel pic.twitter.com/bW3Rl2E69t
— StFX Athletics (@StFXAthletics) November 28, 2021