Laval scored six in a row, then five in a row with Kim Letang leading the way and the Rouge et Or rolled on to a 16-8 quarter and 28-22 lead at half time.
Letang led the Rouge et Or with 16 points, followed by Carrie-Ann Auger and Maude Archambault with seven each.
The lead grew to 16 points, but the Panthers weren’t going anywhere. They hung on, relying on U Sports Player of the Year Jenna Mae Ellsworth and Reese Baxendale to climb back.
By the end of the third, UPEI was still down by eight. Then with 3:20 left in the fourth quarter, UPEI was down by four.
Then Baxendale stepped up to the line and shot a free throw with 2:19 left on the clock and the game was tied at 50 a piece. Powered by their mighty fans sitting court side at TD Place, the Panthers went on to win 57-50.
“You never give up,” said UPEI head coach Matt Gamblin. “It wasn’t Xs and Os. It was just heart.”
Gamblin said that in the fourth quarter, the team picked up their tempo when it mattered the most and focused on what worked earlier in the game.
“It just goes to show our character,” said Ellsworth. “We feed off each other’s energy.”
Ellsworth ended the game with 24 points, followed by Baxendale with 17. Both played all 20 minutes of the second half. Baxendale made three three-pointers in the fourth quarter, including two in a row.
“I just wanted to win so bad,” said Baxendale. “Being in a bronze medal game is hard, because you don’t win anything if you come fourth.”
Ellsworth made eight free throws in the fourth quarter, capitalizing on a handful of fouls by Laval. She also sunk two jump shots, putting up 12 points total in the last eight minutes.
“Focus, put your hand on the basket and make the shot,” Ellsworth said of her shots, including two with the crowd silent, making it 57-50 and securing the win.
This win for UPEI is just the beginning for Ellsworth and Baxendale, both of whom are returning next season.
“The next goal is to win a gold medal,” said Ellsworth.
Feature image by Spencer Colby
