(CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I.) - The UNB Varsity Reds handed the UPEI Panthers their first loss on their home court this season at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre in front of 550 fans Saturday night in Charlottetown. In the process, they overtook the Panthers for first place in the AUS.
The Saturday night contest saw CIS No. 1 and 2 leading scorers, UNB's Javon Masters, (Kitchener, Ont.) and UPEI's Tyler Scott (Halifax, N.S.) leading their respective teams in a battle for first place in the AUS.
The first quarter was played extremely tight with five early lead changes and UNB ultimately holding a 20-19 lead. This would be as close as UPEI would get for the remainder of the game as the Varsity Reds broke open the game with a 30-point second quarter.
The Varsity Reds top the AUS in three-pointers made and attempted per game and it didn't take long for them to show why. Will McFee (Northbridge, Australia) and Jordan Irvine (Riceville, N.B.) combined for six first-half threes, leading UNB to a 50-36 halftime lead.
Tyler Scott held a slight edge over his counterpart, with 18 points compared to Master's 13.
The second half had UNB continuing to battle hard. Ryan Smith (Dalhousie, N.B.) sparked UNB, keeping possessions alive with five offensive rebounds in the third quarter while Irvine, Masters and McPhee continued to knock down shots maintaining a 72-56 lead heading to the fourth.
UNB coasted to victory, outscoring UPEI 24-19 in the final frame, en route to a 96-75 victory.
The Varsity Reds added 12 points from three-point range in the fourth, led by Irvine who finished the game with 23 points, 15 from long range and 13 rebounds off the bench.
Masters led UNB in scoring with 27 to go with six assists and half a dozen rebounds. He also earned Subway player of the game honours.
Tyler Scott and Brad States (Bathurst, N.B.) were the bright spots for a Panthers team who struggled to find their touch. The two combined for 56 of UPEI's 75 points with Scott scoring a game-high 32.
UNB (10-3) look to extend their win streak to five games when they take on Acadia (4-8) Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. in Wolfville.
UPEI (10-3) battles the Cape Breton Capers (6-7) (7-6) at the same time in Cape Breton.
Source: Jonathan Lane for UPEI Sports Communications