Terrence Brown can beat opponents in a number of ways.
Give him too much space and he can drill a jump shot. Crowd him and he’ll likely drive by the defender and either finish at the hoop or dish to a teammate.
“I love to score the basketball and love to try to make my teammates better,” he said. “(I) try to get them the ball in good position so they can make easy baskets.”
It is that combination that makes him so valuable to the UPEI Panthers.
“He’s a big part of our team,” said coach Tim Kendrick, who called Brown the Atlantic University Sport’s most complete guard. “He’s an important player in this league and I don’t think he gets enough respect.”
The Panthers move players in and out of the lineup with different combinations, so it’s hard to put a traditional description on him.
“We don’t number them. He’s not a one or a two, he’s a one-two,” Kendrick said. “He’s a scoring point guard.”
Brown, described by his coach as a quiet leader who works hard, is healthy after having ACL surgery at the end of last season. He leads UPEI with nearly 16 points per game through the first third of the season.
“The knee is actually stronger than it was before,” Brown said.
He is looking to continue that strong play tonight when the Panthers host the Saint Mary’s Huskies in the first of back-to-back games this weekend.
“We’re very excited going into this weekend against Saint Mary’s,” said Brown, who led the Panthers with 30 points against the Huskies Nov. 18 in Halifax.
UPEI almost coughed up a 66-48 lead after three quarters but held on for a one-point victory after being outscored 44-27 in the fourth.
UPEI (5-2) is third in the conference while SMU (2-5) is sixth and has lost five straight.
“The big thing with us is winning every game we’re suppose to win and not letting any team, that were suppose to beat, sneak up and beat us,” Brown said. “These are two key victories that we need to get at home.”
Kendrick knows it won’t be a walk in the park. He said the Huskies have improved and will be tough to beat.
“They’re big, they’re good and, it’s going to be a real test, but we think we’re pretty good, too.”
Riley Halpin leads the Huskies with 15.4 points, six rebounds and two assists per game.
The Panthers are coming off a win over the country’s second-ranked Acadia team last week in Wolfville, N.S.
Kendrick said it was a nice win after not playing well in a Toronto tournament after Christmas, but the team regrouped and practiced hard.
“We earned that victory at Acadia with our work ethic and we’re hoping to do the same thing this weekend times two,” he said.
Women
The Panthers (1-6) host the country’s fourth-ranked team, the Huskies (7-0).
UPEI lost by 12 in November in Halifax, but it was a three-point game going to the fourth quarter.
“We’re certainly not going to concede anything to them,” UPEI coach Greg Gould said Thursday. “We know that if we play well we can compete with them.”
The Huskies have a mix of perimeter and post players with experience.
SMU is led by fourth-year guard Justine Colley, who leads the nation in scoring at nearly 28 points per game. Her field goal and three point percentages are nearly identical (48.9 from the floor and 48.5 from behind the arc).
“She is athletic. She can shoot the ball, she can take the ball to the hoop,” Gould said.
“I don’t think any one person is going to be able to control her. You have to do it . . . with your team defence.”
Second-year guard Katelynn Donahoe will start against Colley.
Saint Mary’s also has Laura Langille, who has averaged 18.4 points through five games this season. “At six-one she’s a bit of a challenge for us,” Gould said.
He added she is a good offensive rebounder who can shoot from the perimeter. The Huskies run a variety of pick and rolls and pick and pops to get her a variety of shots.
Gould said the Panthers have to be patient offensively. It had some success in the last meeting pushing the ball and that could be part of the game plan tonight.
“We’d like to be able to create a few turnovers and score a few in transition.”
UPEI will be without Danielle MacDonald (strained MCL) and Carly LaFave (knee). Jenna Jones has been out part of the week with an Achilles tendon injury but is expected to play.
Shoot for the Cure
The UPEI women’s basketball team will hold a fundraiser Saturday for breast cancer research.
During the Panthers’ game with the Saint Mary’s Huskies at 4 p.m., the Panthers will host their annual Shoot for the Cure event.
Fans will be able to can purchase pink hair flairs in the lobby for $10 and pink baked goods through a bake sale.
UPEI pink print T-shirts can be purchased in advance for $12 at the UPEI Bookstore or by contacting lboudreau@upei.ca.
All proceeds go towards breast cancer research.
****
Terrence Brown
Who: A fourth-year guard for the UPEI Panthers.
Height: Six feet.
Hometown: Nassau, Bahamas.
Studying: Arts.
Stats:
GP Pts./G Reb./G A./G
7 15.9 3.3 2.3
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Schedule
Tonight
Saint Mary’s at UPEI
6 p.m. – Women
8 p.m. – Men
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Saturday
Saint Mary’s at UPEI
4 p.m. – Women
6 p.m. – Men
