Antigonish, NS – In a battle of two of the top teams in the AUS, the U SPORTS No. 6 ranked STFX X-Men outlasted the UPEI Panthers 89-58 on route to their 12th win of the season.
The X-Men got out to a 7-0 run to start the game. They were up by 10 points with just over four minutes to play but the Panthers quickly turned the tables.
Elijah Miller (Rexdale, ON) and Isaiah Ankra (North York, ON) sank back-to-back three pointers for UPEI as they pulled to within four points, 16-12.
Miller scored 11 points in the opening quarter for the Panthers as they trailed the X-Men 24-21 after 10 minutes.
The second quarter was back and forth action with the X-Men holding onto their slight lead throughout the quarter. The blue and white were up by as much as nine with three minutes to play.
They went on an 8-0 run in the final minute of play and closed out the quarter outscoring the Panthers 22-14 to take a 46-35 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Deon Ejim (Brampton, ON) scored 12 points in the opening half for the X-Men, while Dondre Reddick (Antigonish, NS) contributed nine.
Miller had 13 first half points for UPEI.
The X-Men opened the third quarter with a 5-0 run to build up a 16-point lead. The Panthers called a timeout and regrouped. The visitors weren't able to gain a momentum swing, however, as the X-Men held onto the lead.
STFX outscored the Panthers 17-13 in the third to take a 63-48 lead after 30 minutes.
The X-Men offense continued to roll in the fourth quarter as Ejim dropped consecutive three-pointers to give the blue and white a 71-50 advantage early on.
The Panthers were unable to narrow the gap as STFX played out the 89-58 victory, outlasted the Panthers 26-10 in the final quarter.
The X-Men held Miller scoreless in the second half as he closed out the game with 13 points for UPEI. Ankra contributed night points and four rebounds in the losing effort.
For the X-Men, Ejim earned Subway player of the game honours with w 21 point, nine rebound effort. Antoine Vernon (Hamilton, ON) scored 13 and added nine assists. Reddick and David Muenkat (Brampton, ON) each scored 13 and Muenkat hauled in 14 rebounds for a double-double night.
With the win, the X-Men improve to 12-2 atop the AUS standings. The Panthers are 8-4.
The same two teams will be back in action on Coach K Court for a rematch Saturday at 4:00 pm.
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Recap courtesy Krista McKenna, STFX Athletics
Deon Ejim put up 21 points & 9 rebounds to earn Subway Player of the Game honours in the X-Men's 89-58 victory over UPEI tonight! #goxgo #SubwayFuel pic.twitter.com/7MgvynFnx7
— StFX Athletics (@StFXAthletics) January 21, 2023