UPEI advance to play Acadia in AUS semis

HALIFAX, NS (Feb. 20, 2026) - In the end, the UPEI Panthers were just too much. 

In Friday night's Atlantic University Sport (AUS) Women's Basketball Championship quarterfinal played at Scotiabank Centre, the Panthers defeated a scrappy Memorial University Sea-Hawks team 71-55.  

UPEI will now meet the second-ranked Acadia Axewomen in Saturday night's semifinal. Tip-off is set for 6:30pm at Scotiabank Centre. UPEI is in search of their first AUS title since 2020, while Acadia's last trophy hoist came in 2019. 

In the opening quarter, the Panthers relied on their height advantage to take an early lead.  

A big reason why they led 21-13 after the first 10 minutes of play was the massive 17-6 difference in rebounds, which then led to second chances for UPEI. Grabbing 10 of those rebounds herself was Ingrid Khuong (Quebec City, QC), who also scored six points in the opening period. 

In the second quarter, UPEI's Regan Cornford (Chateauguay, QC) scored seven of her 12 points to help extend the Panthers lead to 38-25 at the break. 

After the break, Memorial tried to chip away at the 13-point deficit.  

Carrying the load was Serena Phillips (St. John's, NL), who found ways to score from all over the court, pouring in 11 of her game high 18 points as her team outscored the Panthers 18-16 in the frame. 

However, UPEI was able to close the door in the final quarter, getting 10 points off the bench to cement the victory. 

Khuong was honoured with the Player of the Game award as she finished with seven points, 15 rebounds, five steals and four assists. Grace Lancaster (Fall River, NS) added 15 points of her own in the victory. 

Brooke LeDevehat (Mount Pearl, NL) chipped in with 13 points for Memorial.