Game recap by: Kirk Jessome
(Halifax, NS) – in an ever important four-point game, the Dalhousie Tigers hosted the UPEI Panthers in Friday night action. The Tigers opened up the game with a quick run and never looked back as they took this one with a 94-55 final.
The Tigers came out with immediate defensive intensity, forcing the Panthers into tough shots and drawing charges. They capitalized on those chances by pushing the ball and getting to the line to open up on a 7-0 run.
Both teams seemed determined to get their points from deep, trading threes throughout the quarter with Alex Carson (Lower Sackville, NS) picking up three of them in the first six minutes for the Tigers.
On the other end Milorad Sedlarevic (Jesenice, Slovenia) provided the early scoring for the Panthers with six points early.
The Tigers were able to maintain the momentum from their early run, finishing the quarter with a nice buzzer-beating tip in from Warren Liang (Vancouver, BC) to put the Tigers up 25-14 heading into the second.
Xavier Ochu (Milton, ON) stepped up in the early minutes of the second quarter for the Tigers, finishing a nice euro-step through the lane as well as getting the foul.
For the Panthers, the shooting was ice cold in the first five minutes of the second quarter, dropping to only 25% from the field, including 1-10 from deep. The result was a 9-0 scoring run for the Tigers opening up the quarter, and a 34-14 deficit. The one aspect that was working for the Panthers was their shooting from the line, when they got there they were at 86% as a team.
In the final three minutes of the quarter the Panthers began to find their touch however, with Amin Suleman (Toronto, ON) and Samy Mohamed (Scarborough, ON) picking up back to back shots from deep.
The Tigers responded with a quick run of their own to end the half on some hot shooting from Carson, and Ryan Harnett (Corner Brook, NS) getting in on the three-point shooting. The Tigers once again were able to close out the quarter with a last second shot in the paint, with Sven Stammberger (Halifax, NS) laying it in before the buzzer.
Heading into the break the Tigers were in control up 49-23.
Scoring was rare in the first five minutes of the third quarter as neither team seemed able to take the lid off the basket with only six points scored between the two teams.
Both teams found most of their points in the quarter from three-point plays, whether it was from beyond the arc, or the old school way. Carson continued to pick up shots from deep, as well as Samy Mohamed on the other end, followed by Stammberger and Moshe Wadley (Toronto, ON) dropping a hoop and harm respectively.
Heading into the final quarter, the Tigers were up 68-36.
One of the biggest keys to the Tigers success was their effort on the glass. In the opening minutes of the fourth quarter the Tigers collected their 50th rebound, with 15 of them being on the offensive end, compared to the 24 total rebounds for the Panthers.
Those numbers gave both Stammberger and Jordan Aquino-Serju (Montreal, QC) double-doubles with nearly a whole quarter to go.
Time ticked away with the Panthers still relying on three-point shots that weren't falling, taking 37 of them, but only converting on nine. The Tigers were able to cash in from deep at a high rate however, with Warren Liang picking up two.
As time ran out, the Tigers walked away with the 94-55 victory.
Alex Carson got the Subway Player of the Game title in this one, finishing with 27 points, shooting 7-13 from long range. Milorad Sedlarevic led the way for the Panthers finishing with 19 points.
The Tigers are back in action tomorrow in an important four-point game against UNB to play for first in the standings. The Panthers will continue on the road tomorrow as they take on Acadia in a four-point game of their own.