Panthers earn weekend sweep against X-Women
The UPEI Panthers remain undefeated at home after sweeping the STFX X-Women during the weekend set.
Charlottetown, PEI - The UPEI Panthers remain undefeated at home after sweeping the STFX X-Women during the weekend set.
Lauren Rainford was a big reason why, as the third-year guard scored 27 points with five rebounds, three assists and two steals in an 85-63 win Saturday afternoon. Rainford's older sister Aiden had her best game as a Panther, scoring 17 points with eight rebounds.
Alicia Bowering also finished in double figures with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc, while Karla Yepez had 10 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
Tied 6-6 early on, STFX's Mali Straker and Malina Collins connected on back-to-back triples to give their team a 12-8 lead. The Panthers (4-2) returned the favour moments later with three-pointers from Yepez and Rainford to even the score at 14 apiece. They closed the 10-7 run to take a 24-21 lead into the second quarter.
STFX (0-6) caught fire from beyond the arc, as they drilled three consecutive three-pointers to make it a two-point game. However, they were unable to stop the Panthers, who went on a 7-0 run and led 39-32 following Fraser's second made three of the quarter.
The three ball kept the X-Women in the game, as Jaya D'Souza and Collins went back-to-back to trim the deficit to three. Rainford then countered with an individual 5-0 run before the break, where UPEI led 49-43.
UPEI Opened the second half with five straight points, forcing STFX to regroup with a timeout. After the breather, Aiden went to work inside, scoring five consecutive points as the Panthers broke the game wide open 59-43.
Meanwhile, their defence was sensational in the third quarter where they held St. FX without a point for close to six minutes. Aiden had her best quarter of the season, as she single-handedly matched the X-Women's scoring output with nine points. After three, UPEI led big, 71-52.
With the game in hand, both teams went to their bench a few minutes into the fourth before the Panthers closed out the 85-63 win.
Aliyah Fraser scored a team-high 18 points in the loss, while teammates Collins and Ekaterina Karchevska also finished in double figures with 16 and 10 points, respectively.
The Panthers head to Fredericton next Saturday where they'll take on the UNB Reds. Meanwhile, the X-Women return home where they host the Memorial Sea-Hawks.
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Recap courtesy Thomas Becker, UPEI Athletics