X-Men make it 11 straight wins with victory over Panthers
X-Men pick up another win in AUS action Friday night, defeating Panthers 86–78
Charlottetown, PEI - The STFX X-Men picked up another win in AUS action Friday night, defeating the UPEI Panthers 86–78 at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre. With the victory – their 11th in a row - the X-Men improve to 16–3 on the season, atop the AUS conference, while UPEI falls to 8–12.
STFX set the tone early, building a double-digit lead in the first half thanks to strong inside play from forward Phoenyx Wyse and the scoring touch of guard DJ Jackson. The X-Men held a 42–31 advantage at halftime after limiting the Panthers to just 12 points in the opening quarter.
UPEI battled back in the second half, cutting into the deficit behind the efforts of Kyree Thompson and Cameron Brown. Thompson led all Panthers with 20 points, including a trio of three-pointers. Brown chipped in a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while bench contributors Sam Chisholm and Abilash Surendran added 11 points apiece.
Despite UPEI's late push, STFX closed strong in the final minutes. Jackson finished with 24 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while Wyse posted an impressive double-double of 18 points, 13 rebounds, and four steals. Owen Frayne provided timely scoring from the stripe, going a perfect six-for-six on free throws to seal the win.
The X-Men dominated the glass, outrebounding UPEI 47–38 and converting 79% of their free throws. UPEI's 17 turnovers and struggles at the line (24-for-36, 67%) ultimately proved costly despite a 34–17 bench scoring advantage.
STFX will close out AUS regular season play with another road game Saturday evening against the UNB REDS in Fredericton.
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