Panthers drop overtime thriller to Reds, 90-84

By Thomas Becker

The UPEI Panthers came within inches of victory Friday night but ultimately fell 90-84 in a hard-fought overtime thriller against the UNB Reds.

With 14 seconds left in regulation, UPEI's Kyree Thompson stepped up in the clutch, draining a deep three-pointer to tie the game at 75-75 and send it into overtime. The momentum seemed to favour the Panthers (8-8) early in the extra frame as Thompson's layup and a corner three from Hugo Bermejo gave UPEI an 80-75 lead. 

However, the Reds (9-8) turned the tide with a barrage of timely three-pointers. After a pair of Kamari Scott free throws extended UPEI's lead to 82-78, Marcus Barnes and Eden Otshudi connected on back-to-back triples to swing the game in UNB's favour, 86-84. Following a missed go-ahead attempt by Sam Chisholm, the Reds added four more points to seal the win.

Otshudi paced UNB with 24 points, including 4-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc, while Conner Landell delivered an efficient 20-point, nine-rebound performance, hitting nine of his 10 shot attempts.

Thompson led the Panthers with a game-high 20 points, adding four assists and three steals. Bermejo filled the stat sheet with 14 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, while Nicolas Gonzalez Longarela continued his strong play with 11 points and eight boards.

The game began with a slow start for UPEI, as the Reds opened on a 6-0 run and held the Panthers to just one field goal in the first 4:40. A thunderous dunk by Brandon Laryea doubled UNB's lead to 16-8, but UPEI responded with a 10-6 run to close the quarter, trimming the deficit to 22-18.

Thompson sparked the Panthers early in the second, scoring five quick points to cut the lead to one. Bermejo then orchestrated the offence, assisting on a Gonzalez Longarela dunk and a Sam Dyck layup before scoring five straight points himself as UPEI stormed ahead 32-27.

Two minutes later, Otshudi and Chisholm exchanged three-pointers, locking the game at 35-35. The back-and-forth battle continued until halftime, with the teams deadlocked at 45-45. Otshudi led all scorers at the break with 14 points, while Thompson kept UPEI in the fight with 10 of his own.

The Panthers' defence was relentless in the third, holding UNB to just six points. Chisholm provided a spark with a personal 5-0 run that pushed UPEI's lead to 56-47, and they carried a 60-51 advantage into the fourth.

UNB mounted a fierce comeback in the final frame, sparked by a deep three from Matthias Muscroft to trim the deficit to 60-56. Moments later, Brandon Laryea slashed through the defence for a tough layup, putting the Reds back on top 68-67 and shifting the momentum in their favour. Thompson hit two clutch threes in the closing minutes to force overtime, but the Reds' late-game shooting barrage proved too much to overcome.

The Panthers will look to rebound on Saturday night when they face the Dalhousie Tigers in Halifax.

Photo Credit: Janessa Vanden Broek