Capers drop first at home

(SYDNEY, N.S.)- Ellis Ffrench led the UPEI Panthers to a big 96-89 win over the Cape Breton University Capers on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers' win on Saturday avenged their loss to the Capers on Friday night and have now won three of their four match-ups with Cape Breton this season.

Fifth-year point guard and former StFX player, Ellis Ffrench, willed the Panthers to victory at Sullivan Fieldhouse with a spectacular performance. Ffrench scored 37 points for UPEI, to go along with seven assists and six rebounds. Ffrench scored a lot of his points at the free throw line, going 14-16 from the charity stripe.

Lorenzo Parker and Stefan Vujisic helped out Ffrench with the offensive workload. Parker had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Vujisic scored 12 points on six of seven shooting.

After going down late in the fourth quarter on Friday, Tyler Scott was ready to go for the Panthers on Saturday afternoon. One of the nation's best scorers struggled again against the Capers, shooting just 4 for 20 from the field for 14 points. However, Scott contributed in other areas, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out five assists in the victory.

For the Capers, Akeem Isaac-Phillip and Meshack Lufile paced their offence. Isaac-Phillip made some big free throws down the stretch and dropped 23 points in a losing effort for the Capers.

Meanwhile, Lufile bounced back after having a very rough first half. Lufile was one of five from the field for just two points in the first half and got into some foul trouble. However, he scored 21 points in the second half to help keep the Capers alive. To go along with his 23 points, Lufile also racked up 14 rebounds for the Capers.

After exchanging blows for most of the first half, the Panthers pulled away a bit in the third quarter and led by as many as 14. After that, it was hard for the Capers to get back in it and they suffered their first defeat at home at the hands of UPEI.

The Capers will look to restart their home winning streak next weekend when they play the Dalhousie Tigers. Their first match-up is set for 8 pm on Friday at Sullivan Fieldhouse.

The Panthers shift their focus to match-ups with Acadia and UNB next weekend. They host Acadia at 8 pm on Friday and then take a visit to play first place UNB at 8 pm on Saturday.