(Charlottetown, PE) – The UPEI Panthers trailed most of the game Saturday night but were able to claw their way back in the final quarter, defeating the StFX X-Women 53-52 at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre in front of 300 spectators.
StFX attempted to play spoiler in UPEI's final home game of the season, but the Panthers were able to stay within striking distance and take the lead late to win their fourth straight game.
The X-Women held a halftime lead of 34-30 after opening up a two-point lead in the opening quarter, 15-13, holding the Panthers to 9 of 32 shooting while forcing them to commit eight turnovers.
First-year guard Samantha Robertson (Toronto, ON), lead the way in the first 20 minutes for the X-Women with nine points and three steals. The Panthers were led by fifth-year senior, Amy Gough (St. John's, NL), with eight points, two steals and a block.
StFX was able to maintain its slight edge over the Panthers in the third quarter on the backs of Kolbi Roper (North Vancouver, BC), and Lindsay Lessard (Waterloo, ON) who scored all 10 of their team's points in the quarter. UPEI managed to outscore the X-Women cutting the lead in half, trailing 44-42 heading into the final quarter.
The Panthers turned to their bench in order to provide a much-needed spark they needed to pull out the victory. Tamara Tompkins (Centreville, NB) came up with a couple big defensive stops while scoring six fourth-quarter points.
Neither team was able to gain any real advantage in the fourth quarter as both UPEI and StFX struggled to put the ball in the net. Ultimately, it was a late three-pointer from fifth year guard Danielle MacDonald (Sydney Mines, NS), that put UPEI ahead and on to the 53-52 victory.
The win keeps UPEI in the hunt for a coveted first round bye in the playoffs.
StFX forward Lindsay Lessard led all scorers with 14 points, while teammate Kolbi Roper turned in an impressive double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
Tamara Tompkins paced the Panthers with 10 points and earned AUS Subway Player of the Game honors as she was vital to the momentum shifting in UPEI's favor during the final 10 minutes.
UPEI (12-6) travels to Acadia to take on the Acadia Axewomen (4-14) Friday, February 20th in a pivotal 4-point game.
StFX (4-15), out of AUS playoff contention, play their final game of the year on the road, Friday, February 20th when they take on Saint Mary's (14-4) in Halifax.
Source: Jonathan Lane for UPEI Sports Information