The UPEI Panthers will not make the Atlantic University Sport women’s basketball playoffs.
The Panthers will finish the regular season this morning with an 11 a.m. tipoff in St. John’s after Memorial clinched the final playoff spot with an 82-70 victory Friday over UPEI.
“It’s disappointing that we’re no longer in the playoffs,” coach Greg Gould said he told his team, “but we still have a game tomorrow and we’re going to play that game for pride.”
Jenna Jones led the Panthers with 19 points off the bench. She shot 75 per cent from the field, including 5-of-7 from behind the three-point line.
St. John’s native Laura Power added 15 points in front of her family and friends. Katelynn Donahoe had five points, nine assists, three rebounds and a steal.
“I was fairly pleased with our offence,” Gould said. “We shot the ball pretty well. . . We just didn’t defend like we have been.”
UPEI was up two points after the first quarter but was outscored 20-10 in the second and could not make up the difference.
We still have a game tomorrow and we’re going to play that game for pride. - Greg Gould, UPEI coach
“We just looked like we were tired and a step behind all night long,” Gould said.
“It’s not because we weren’t working hard.”
The team’s flight out of Halifax was delayed a couple of times Thursday night, resulting in the Panthers not arriving in St. John’s until 2 a.m.
Grace Fishbein led Memorial with 19 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Emily Jameson and Ally Forsey each had 16 points for the SeaHawks.
The Panthers shot better from the free-throw line (87 per cent to 72) and the three-point line (47 per cent to 33) than Memorial, but not from the field (41 per cent to 48). UPEI was outrebounded 40-24.
The Panthers are 5-14 on the season. They have lost by an average of nine points and were in most games right to the final minutes.
Saturday will be the final Panthers game for seniors Julia McKenna, Emily MacEachern and Carly LaFave.
