(HALIFAX, N.S.) – The Saint Mary's Huskies upset the UPEI Panthers 105-92 Saturday night in the second semifinal game of the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championship.
It was a close game to start the opening quarter, with both teams exchanging baskets for an 11-11 tie halfway through the opening frame. But the Huskies began to pull away early, leading 30-21 by the end of the quarter.
In the second frame, Saint Mary's extended their lead, with Marquis Clayton (Halifax, N.S.) posting 14, three rebounds, five assists and steal in the quarter.
UPEI's Tyler Scott (Halifax, N.S.) responded with 10 points and three rebounds of his own, but it would not be enough to catch the Huskies, who led 60-49 at the half.
The story was the same in the third frame, with Saint Mary's continuing to dominate, stretching their lead to as much as 16 in the third quarter.
But the Panthers returned with a vengeance in the final frame, closing the gap to three with a little over three minutes remaining in the game.
Scott and Ellis Ffrench (Wolfville, N.S.) combined for 13 points in under four minutes to bring the score to 93-90 before the Huskies pulled away for the last time.
The defending champion Huskies closed the game on a 12-2 run to finish with a 105-92 victory.
Saint Mary's and Dalhousie split their regular season series this year with each team winning a game on home court.
The Huskies are chasing their 15th Atlantic conference banner, while the Tigers are looking to capture their fourth title and first since the 2011-12 season.
Osman Barrie was named Subway player of the game for the Huskies, posting 28 points, 11 rebounds, an assist and a block.
Tyler Scott earned Subway player of the game honours for the Panthers, contributing 35 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the loss.
The Huskies now advance to the Subway AUS Men's Basketball Championship final game Sunday at 4:30 p.m. versus the Dalhousie Tigers at Scotiabank Centre.