REDS Rally Late, Edge Panthers

(CHARLOTTETOWN, PE) Brandon Laryea's three-point basket with 50 seconds to play propelled the UNB REDS to a 70-68 win over the UPEI Panthers in Atlantic University Sport men's basketball action, Saturday afternoon in Charlottetown.

The REDS followed Laryea's basket, which made it a 69-68 game, with a single Marcus Barnes free-throw with 25 seconds left for the two-point margin of victory.

"This was a character win for our team," said REDS' head coach Joe Salerno. "In a game where nothing seemed to be going right, we hung in there and guys made some big plays when they mattered most to grind out the win."

The Panthers built an early 18-11 first quarter lead and were up 35-32 at the half-time break.

The REDS won the third quarter 18-12 and did enough in the fourth to earn the win.

"Having fourth and fifth year guys like Marcus and Brandon, who both hit huge shots for us down the stretch, really is a luxury to have in games like this," said Coach Salerno. "They've been through battles the last several seasons in this league and can pull from previous experiences in crunch time."

Barnes finished the game with 21 points while Laryea had 14.

Mark Tobin and Eden Otshudi dropped 13 and 11 points respectively, and Conner Landell grabbed 13 rebounds.

Kyree Thompson scored a game-high 32 points for UPEI and pulled down nine rebounds. Owen Smith came off the Panthers' bench to score 10.

"I tip my hat to UPEI," added Salerno. "They played extremely hard today and were a very tough opponent."

At 10-and-5, UNB sits tied for second place with Acadia in the AUS standings. Both are two-points back of STFX.

The Panthers are now 5-and-9 and part of a three-way tie for fifth place with Dalhousie and Memorial.

The REDS are back on home court next Saturday when they take on the Dal Tigers in a scheduled 8:00pm tip. The Panthers will be in Halifax to take on Saint Mary's on Friday.

STORY BY: Andy Campbell/UNB REDS

PHOTOS BY: Janessa Vanden Broek/for UPEI Athletics