X-Men fall to Panthers on home court

(ANTIGONISH, N.S.) - Sparked by 16 second-half points off the bench from Lorenzo Parker (New Minas, N.S.), the visiting UPEI Panthers (5-2) cruised to a 107-90 win over the StFX X-Men (1-5) Friday night in AUS basketball action.

In front of more than 600 fans at Oland Centre, Parker added six rebounds and two assists for UPEI.

The junior forward meshed back-to-back three-pointers late in the third quarter as the Panthers took a 79-69 advantage after 30 minutes.

The X-Men could get no closer in the fourth quarter, with UPEI holding a 28-21 margin in scoring.

Fifth-year senior Shane Coupland (Brisbane, Australia) of the X-Men had game-highs in both points (24) and rebounds (11). He added four assists, one steal and one blocked shot.

Sophomore Cameron Walker (Dallas, Texas) collected a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Second-year guard Julius Antoine (Woodbridge, Ont.) contributed 20 points, along with three rebounds, four assists and three steals for the X-Men.

Davonte Provo (East Preston, N.S.) and Jameel Williamson (Pickering, Ont.) led the blue and white with six assists apiece.

Subway player of the game Tyler Scott (Halifax, N.S.) fashioned a stellar all-around game with 23 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals for UPEI.

Former X-Man Ellis Ffrench (Wolfville, N.S.) chipped in 22 points, three rebounds and two steals.

Brad States (Halifax, N.S.) added a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds, along with four steals and one blocked shot for the visiting Panthers.

The teams were tied 45-45 at halftime.

In a close opening 20 minutes, the X-Men held the largest lead at 10 points.

Walker led three StFX players in double figures with 11 points, while Antoine and Coupland meshed 10 apiece.

Coupland added nine rebounds, while Walker collected six. The X-Men were five-for-10 from three-point range.

French and States led the Panthers with 12 points each in the first half. States and Michael Karimu (Rancho Cucamonga, USA) gathered a team-high five rebounds apiece.

The X-Men return to action Saturday, Nov. 29, when they host the UNB Varsity Reds. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. at Oland Centre. The Panthers have wrapped up first half AUS play.

Source: StFX Sports Information