The UPEI Panthers found a way to finish Friday, defeating the conference’s second-place Dalhousie Tigers 74-66 in Atlantic University Sport women’s basketball action in Halifax.
The Panthers (2-9) won the second quarter 25-16 to head to the dressing room with a nine-point lead at the half.
The Panthers, who have been plagued by scoring lapses in the second half of games this season, didn’t let this one slip away to break a seven-game losing streak.
Nakita Newman led the Panthers with 14 points off the bench while Amy Gough and Darcy Zinck each added 13 and Katelynn Donahoe 11.
Donahoe added seven rebounds, four steals and three assists while Gough had seven boards, four dimes and a block.
Keisha Brown had 19 points to lead Dalhousie
(8-4).
A key to the Panthers’ victory was UPEI going 17-for-21 from the free-throw line while limiting the Tigers to 3-for-3.
The Panthers men’s team wasn’t as lucky, losing 81-71 to Dalhousie.
The loss dropped the Panthers to 8-4 while the Tigers improved to 7-6
Mandrez Downey led UPEI with 16 points while Joe Kendrick and Lorenzo Parker each added 14 points. Forward Geoff Doane had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
UPEI shot 31 per cent from the floor while the Tigers hit at a 41 per cent clip.
Simon Marr led the Tigers with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
The Tigers led 46-35 at the half. The Panthers cut the lead to six to start the third, but could not pull off the comeback.
The Panthers play Saint Mary’s Huskies tonight with the women on the court at 6 p.m. and the men at 8 p.m.
SMU’s women’s team is 12-0 while the men are 3-8.
