UPEI notches comeback victory over Dalhousie, winning 89-82 in overtime

(CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I.) - The UPEI Panthers opened up the second half of the season with an overtime win over the visiting Dalhousie Tigers at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre in front of 350 fans Friday night.

UPEI struggled in the first quarter to find their offensive shooting just 4-of-19 from the field. Dalhousie on the other hand started off shooting just under 50 per cent, which propelled them to a first quarter lead of 20-14. Devon Stedman (Ottawa, Ont.) had the hot hand for the Tigers and converted on all four of his shots, for eight points.

The second quarter saw much of the same trend, as Dalhousie would widen their lead to 41-27 going into halftime. The Tigers continued to be efficient from the floor shooting near 50 per cent while UPEI was able to improve on their first quarter but still shot below 40 per cent from the field.

Sean Dodds (Ottawa, Ont.) came off the bench for the Tigers, to lead all first half scorers with 10 points, while Brad States (Bathurst, N.B.) and Milorad Sedlarevic (Vesenice, Slovenia) led the way for the Panthers with seven points each.

The Panthers were able to flip the script on the Tigers in the third quarter thanks in large part to an outstanding effort by fifth-year forward Geoff Doane (St. Margaret's Bay, N.S.). Doane couldn't miss, shooting 5-for-5 from the field for 14 points in the quarter and cutting Dalhousie's lead to eight. They trailed 60-52 after three quarters.

UPEI continued to claw back in the fourth quarter and were able to tie the game in the final minutes. The teams traded last minute baskets remaining tied 74-74 in the final seconds. Dalhousie's Kashrell Lawrence (Brampton, Ont.) had a good look at a game-winning three-pointer for the win but it rimmed out.

In the overtime frame, UPEI continued to control the momentum, outscoring the Tigers 15-8 to win 89-82. After being held scoreless for the first 30 minutes of the game, CIS leading scorer, Tyler Scott (Halifax, N.S.) found his rhythm in the fourth quarter and overtime. Scott hit on all three of his shots from long range and iced the game with two late free throws, tallying 17 points in less than 15 minutes.

Subway player of the game Geoff Doane lead the Panthers with 25 points, five rebounds and three assists. Tyler Scott and Ellis Ffrench added 17 and 12 points, respectively.

Top performers for the Tigers were Kashrell Lawrence, who also scored 25 points and Sean Dodds who chipped in with 17 points in the loss.

UPEI (6-2) and Dalhousie (5-2) battle again in Charlottetown Saturday night at 8 p.m.

* NOTE: On behalf of the UPEI men's basketball team and athletic department, we are sending our thoughts and well wishes to the Tigers' Devon Stedman who left the game early in the second quarter with a knee injury.

Source: Jonathan Lane for UPEI Sports Information