NEWS
      &
      FEATURES
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Tournament
      M.V.P.
      Lori
      Knickle
      tries
      to
      obtain
      the
      leather
      ball
      from
      another
      human
      being.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Panthers
      power
     
     
      way
      to
      A.U.A.A.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      title
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      he
      University
      of
      Prince
      Edward
      Island
     
    

    
     
      Lady
      Panthers
      will
      make
      their
      second
     
    

    
     
      consecutive
      appearance
      in
      the
      National
     
     
      Women’s
      Basketball
      Tournament
      thanks
      to
      an
     
     
      impressive
      come-from-behind
      victory
      over
      the
     
     
      St.
      FX
      Lady
      Xaverians
      last
      Sunday
      at
      the
      U.P.E.I.
     
     
      Sports
      Centre.
      The
      win
      capped
      off
      one
      of
      the
     
     
      most
      successful
      seasons
      ever
      for
      the
      Lady
      Pan-
     
     
      thers
      as
      they
      claimed
      their
      fourth
      A.U.A.A.
     
     
      title.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Panthers’
      road
      to
      the
      championship
     
     
      Started
      as
      it
      ended-
      against
      the
      St.
      FX
      team
      at
      the
     
     
      U.P.E.I.
      Sports
      Centre.
      The
      Panthers
      played
     
     
      well
      at
      the
      first
      of
      the
      year,
      winning
      four
      of
      their
     
     
      first
      six
      games,
      but
      rival
      U.N.B.
      Red
      Bloomers
     
     
      got
      off
      to
      an
      even
      better
      start
      and
      had
      a
      solid
     
     
      hold
      on
      first
      place.
      The
      turning
      point
      of
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      4
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      season
      probably
      came
      in
      Moncton,
      New
      Bruns-
     
     
      wick,
      the
      neutral
      site
      where
      the
      entire
      league
     
     
      met
      for
      a
      mid-season
      tournament.
      The
      Panthers
     
     
      won
      the
      tournament
      with
      a
      perfect
      3-0
      record
     
     
      including
      wins
      against
      St.
      FX
      and
      first
      place
     
     
      U.N.B.
      Red
      Bloomers.
      The
      wins
      lifted
      the
      Pan-
     
     
      thers’
      record
      to
      7-2
      and
      thrust
      them
      into
      conten-
     
     
      tion
      for
      first
      place.
     
    

    
     
      The
      following
      weekend,
      however,
      the
      Pan-
     
     
      thers’
      first
      place
      hopes
      were
      dimmed
      after
      a
      loss
     
     
      to
      the
      Red
      Bloomers.
      But,
      on
      the
      weekend
      of
     
     
      January
      13th,
      the
      Panthers
      went
      on
      one
      of
      their
     
     
      most
      crucial
      road
      trips
      of
      the
      year.
      On
      Saturday
     
     
      the
      13th,
      the
      Panthers
      beat
      the
      Dalhousie
      Tigers
     
     
      and
      travelled
      the
      next
      day
      to
      Antigonish
      to
      meet
     
     
      the
      strong
      St.
      FX
      team.
      The
      Panthers
      were
     
     
      virtually
      guaranteed
      a
      playoff
      spot
      but
      they
      had
     
    
   
   
    
     
      to
      win
      both
      games
      to
      keep
      their
      first
      place
      hopes
     
     
      alive
      as
      U.N.B.
      was
      winning
      also.
      The
      Panthers
     
     
      squeaked
      out
      a
      tough
      92-91
      win
      on
      the
      Lady
     
     
      Xaverians’
      home
      turf,
      thereby
      opening
      the
      door
     
     
      to
      first
      place.
      The
      Panthers,
      erasing
      the
      memory
     
     
      of
      their
      loss
      to
      U.N.B.
      a
      week
      earlier,
      put
     
     
      themselves
      back
      into
      first
      place
      contention
      as
     
     
      they
      reeled
      off
      seven
      straight
      games.
      The
      loss
     
     
      against
      U.N.B.
      would
      turn
      out
      to
      be
      the
      last
      loss
     
     
      of
      the
      year
      for
      the
      Panthers
      in
      A.U.A.A.
      compe-
     
     
      tition.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Panthers
      returned
      home
      to
      the
      Sports
     
     
      Centre
      to
      close
      out
      the
      regular
      season
      schedule
     
     
      at
      home
      against
      the
      St.
      Mary’s
      Huskies
      and
      the
     
     
      Acadia
      Axettes.
      By
      this
      time,
      U.N.B.
      had
      al-
     
     
      ready
      finished
      their
      schedule
      and
      were
      awaiting
     
     
      the
      results
      of
      U.P.E.I.’s
      games
      to
      see
      who
      would
     
     
      finish
      first
      and
      subsequently
      earn
      the
      right
      to
     
     
      host
      the
      playoffs.
      The
      Red
      Bloomers
      finished
     
     
      with
      an
      impressive
      14-3
      record
      and
      were
      sitting
     
     
      atop
      the
      league
      standings;
      however,
      two
      wins
     
     
      for
      the
      Panthers
      would
      also
      give
      them
      a
      record
     
     
      of
      14-3.
      In
      the
      event
      ofa
      tie,
      U.P.E.I.
      would
      be
     
     
      awarded
      first
      place
      since
      they
      had
      beaten
      U.N.B.
     
     
      two
      out
      of
      three
      times
      during
      the
      past
      year.
      The
     
     
      Panthers
      had
      to
      win
      both
      games
      to
      earn
      the
      right
     
     
      to
      host
      the
      playoffs.
      Everything
      was
      in
      their
     
     
      own
      hands.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      EASY
      VICTORIES
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      first
      game
      was
      predicted
      to
      be
      an
      easy
     
     
      victory-
      St.
      Mary’s
      had
      only
      two
      wins
      all
      year.
     
     
      But
      the
      Lady
      Panthers,
      taking
      nothing
      for
     
     
      granted,
      came
      out
      playing
      hard.
      Still,
      the
      pre-
     
     
      game
      predictions
      turned
      out
      to
      be
      quite
      accu-
     
     
      rate.
      The
      Panthers,
      with
      every
      player
      on
      the
     
     
      team
      involved
      in
      the
      scoring,
      walked
      away
      with
     
     
      an
      80-52
      win.
      Thenext
      day,
      however,
      the
      Acadia
     
     
      Axettes
      invaded
      the
      Sports
      Centre
      bringing
     
     
      with
      them
      a
      respectable
      8-7
      record,
      and
      would
     
     
      present
      the
      Panthers
      with
      a
      far
      greater
      chal-
     
     
      lenge.
      But,
      the
      Panthers
      were
      too
      motivated
      to
     
     
      be
      impressed
      by
      Acadia
      and
      walked
      away
      with
     
     
      another
      easy
      victory-
      again
      with
      the
      bench
     
     
      playing
      a
      large
      role.
      With
      the
      final
      buzzer
     
     
      sounding,
      the
      Panthers
      clinched
      first
      place
      and
     
     
      the
      A.U.A.A.
      playoffs
      wouldcometo
      the
      U.P.E.l.
     
     
      Sports
      Centre
      for
      the
      first
      time.
     
    

    
     
      Last
      weekend
      basketball
      fans
      from
      all
      ove!
     
     
      packed
      every
      corner
      of
      the
      Sports
      Centre
      to
      ge!
     
     
      a
      glimpse
      of
      the
      Final
      Four-
      the
      finest
      women’s
     
     
      basketball
      teams
      in
      Atlantic
      Canada.
      Participat-
     
     
      ing
      in
      the
      tournament
      were
      the
      host
      team
      and
     
     
      first
      place
      finishers
      the
      U.P.E.I.
      Lady
      Panthers
     
     
      (14-3)
      who
      won
      ten
      out
      of
      their
      last
      eleve?
     
     
      games
      to
      claim
      first
      place
      from
      the
      second
      plac¢
     
     
      UN.B.
      Red
      Bloomers
      (14-3).
      Finishing
      thir
     
     
      and
      playing
      the
      Bloomers
      were
      the
      St.
      FX
      Lady
     
     
      Xaverians
      (12-5),
      and
      rounding
      out
      the
      partic"
     
     
      pants
      and
      placing
      fourth
      were
      the
      Dalhous!