It was an unsuccessful weekend for UPEI basketball.
Both the men’s and women’s varsity teams went 0-2 versus the Saint Mary’s Huskies in Atlantic University Sport play in Halifax.
The losses were the first of the season for the men’s team, which entered the holiday break a perfect 6-0.
On Sunday, the Panthers (6-2) lost their second-straight to SMU (4-5), 91-83.
Guards Jonathan Cooper and Terrance Brown scored 29 and 23 respectively, but it wasn’t enough as the Panthers collectively shot 34 per cent from the field.
Huskies’ star Tory Fassett had 27 points and 10 rebounds to lead his team. The Huskies finished with a .500 field goal percentage.
“We didn’t play well enough to win,’’ said Panthers head coach Tim Kendrick. “Saint Mary’s played very well and full marks to them. Our plan is to rectify that in practice this week and be ready to face UNB on Friday.’’
On Saturday, SMU downed UPEI 93-86.
The Huskies were led by Riley Halpin’s 23 points, but six players were in double digits. Iain Robertson chipped in 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Three Panther starters also had double-doubles.
Donathan Moss led all scorers with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Manock Lual totaled 15 points, 14 rebounds and Jermaine Duke picked up 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Women’s Basketball
The Panthers (1-7) nearly took down the first-place Huskies (8-1) Sunday, eventually losing 76-74.
AUS points leader Justine Colley led all scorers with 30 points, while Charlottetown-native Susanne Canvin chipped in 16 for SMU.
Jenna Jones scored 14 for the Panthers, but missed a near-open look with time ticking down in the contest.
Head coach Carly Clarke said the loss was “heartbreaking’’ in a post-game tweet.
“Great effort by our girls. Got a great look for the win and just missed. Great performance to build on!’’ she wrote.
The Panthers were outstanding off the bench as Danielle MacDonald scored 14, and Terrilyn Herrick, 12.
Captain Katie Moore and guard Amy Gough dominated the boards, hauling in 12 rebounds apiece.
On Saturday, the girls lost 65-45.
Laura Power had 12 points to lead UPEI.
Leading scorer Jones also struggled, totaling five points on 2-for-13 shooting.
SMU was led by Colley, who had 14 points, while Canvin had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
