OTTAWA, Ont. — The UPEI Panthers are coming home with medals from the women’s basketball nationals for the second time in the program’s history and first since 1989.
The Panthers erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit Sunday to beat the Laval Rouge et Or 57-50 in the U Sports bronze-medal game in Ottawa.
“We celebrated but I don't think the whole (magnitude) has sunk in,” said UPEI’s fourth-year guard Jenna Mae Ellsworth. “It has been a very long time since UPEI has won a medal or even come to this tournament.”
FINAL | #Panthers 57 - Laval Rouge et Or 50
— UPEI Panthers (@UPEIPanthers) March 8, 2020
Say hello to your @USPORTSca BRONZE MEDALISTS!🥉#GoPanthersGo | #Basketball | #Nationals | #Bronze pic.twitter.com/JykLimuTdd
It is the first time the team has been to nationals since Ellsworth’s mother Tracy coached the Panthers to the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) title in 1998. Current assistant coach Carolyn Huggan played on the 1989 squad.
“To be from the Island, play at the home university and come back with a bronze medal is incredible,” said Ellsworth, a Charlottetown native who was named the country’s top player on Wednesday.
The Panthers knocked off the third-ranked Ryerson Rams in Thursday’s quarter-final with a fourth-quarter comeback, lost to the second-ranked Brock Badgers, who won the Ontario league, in Saturday’s semifinal and defeated the fourth-ranked Rouge et Or, the Quebec champs, on Sunday.
But it wasn’t easy.
The Panthers trailed by as many as 18 points in the third quarter and 10 early in the fourth on Sunday.
They were playing without co-captain Karla Yepez, injured in Saturday’s semifinal, but kept fighting.
“We just knew we couldn't give up and we just had to keep chipping away,” said third-year guard Reese Baxendale.
She hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to four with 3:16 to play. Ellsworth stole the ball on the ensuing Laval possession and found Baxendale for another trey to cut the lead to one.
“She hit two big threes and that was a big game changer,” Ellsworth said.
Ellsworth hit a free throw to tie it and a jumper with 1:49 left to put the Panthers ahead for good as UPEI closed out the game.
“Now we’re bronze medallist in the whole country,” Baxendale said. “It’s incredible. It’s amazing.”
Ellsworth and Baxendale both said it took a full team effort for the Matt Gamblin-coached squad to win on Sunday.
“We got energy and contribution from every single one of those players out there,” Ellsworth said.
One of those players who stepped up in Yepez’s absence was Reilly Sullivan, a first-year UPEI forward from Quispamsis, N.B.
“I’m ecstatic,” she said. “You talk about (winning a medal at nationals) at the beginning of the season but then you’re there and it’s just so surreal. It’s just an incredible experience and I’m so glad we all got to experience it together.”
She played 25 minutes, had two points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal.
The core of the Panthers’ roster can return with Annabelle Charron and Kimeshia Henry the lone fifth-year players.
“I know the girls and the team will be focused on even trying to better this result,” athletics director Chris Huggan said.
He creditted the former head coach with laying the foundation for the team’s successful run.
“Greg Gould did an exceptional job with building this team,” he said, noting Gould recruited the veteran Panthers. “Matt came in and got a great crop of rookies this year, led by Lauren Rainford and Reilly. Matt has done an outstanding job developing the talent we had and building a very positive team culture.”
The Panthers were expected to see the first half of Sunday’s gold-medal game before flying back to Halifax where they would board a bus for the last leg of the journey home. They were expected back on campus in the wee hours of the morning.
“We’ve had an endless amount of support from all across the Island,” Ellsworth said. “My phone blew up after the game. I’m sure a lot of other players’ phones blew up. Just to know we have everyone behind us, and the support we have (had during the run) is incredible.”
Ellsworth said it has been a crazy three weeks. It included clinching the regular season title by sweeping two games in St. John’s, N.L., winning the AUS title in Halifax a week ago and capping it off with a national medal in Ottawa.
“I’m definitely exhausted,” she said. “But I wouldn't trade it for the world.”
Recap
A look at Sunday’s bronze medal game at the U Sports women’s basketball championship between the UPEI Panthers and the Laval Rouge et Or.
Outcome
UPEI 14 8 11 24 — 57
Laval 12 16 13 9 — 50
Top Scorers
Laval – Kim Letang 16, Maude Archambault 7 and Carrie-Ann Auger 7.
UPEI – Jenna Mae Ellsworth 24, Reese Baxendale 17 and Carolina Del Santo 7.
Rebound Leaders
Laval – Khaleann Caron-Goudreau 18.
UPEI – Carolina Del Santo 12, Jenna Mae Ellsworth 9 and Reese Baxendale 7.
Assist Leaders
Laval – Leslie Makosso 4.
UPEI – Jenna Mae Ellsworth 4, Reese Baxendale 3 and Carolina Del Santo 3.
Shooting percentages
Field goals
Laval – 24 (18-for-75).
UPEI – 30 (18-for-61).
Three-pointers
Laval – 21 (7-for-34).
UPEI – 33 (5-for-15).
Free throws
Laval – 88 (7-for-8).
UPEI – 64 (16-for-25).
Did you know? It is UPEI’s first medal by a team at nationals since the men’s soccer team won on home turf in 2014.
Road to remember
A look at the UPEI Panthers women’s basketball team’s season.
17-3 – Regular season champs in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS).
2-0 at AUS championship.
Semifinal – UPEI 73 UNB 60
Final – UPEI 78 Acadia 59.
2-1 at U Sports national championship.
Quarter-final – UPEI 75 Ryerson 70
Semifinal – Brock 69 UPEI 55
Bronze-medal game – UPEI 57 Laval 50
UPEI guard Reese Baxendale said: “It’s great to feel like we’ve accomplished something special this year.”
