Atlantic University Sport basketball championships roar through Halifax
Acadia University and the University of New Brunswick end the weekend raising championship trophies
The University of New Brunswick Reds beat the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers 84-59 in the 2026 Atlantic University Sport women’s basketball championship final on Feb. 22, at Halifax’s Scotiabank Centre.
UNB’s Kylee Speedy looks to drive past the UPEI defenders, but is double-teamed in the championship final. Speedy’s Reds held a 41-29 lead after the first half and took over in the third quarter, outscoring UPEI 29-8.
UNB’s Alyssa Jenkins (right) and the UPEI’s Karla Benitez (left) race for the ball. The Reds and Panthers put their bodies on the line throughout the game, trying to impose their physicality on the other team.
The Reds hold up W’s after defeating the Panthers in the championship final. The Reds were dominant all year, going 18-2 in the regular season and holding down the No. 1 seed in the conference.
The Reds sing “Happy Birthday” to Maheva Ngassam after winning the championship.
Bev Greenlaw (left) stands next to Kylee Speedy (right), who earned Player of the Game after putting up 28 points for the Reds in the final. Greenlaw served as the honorary chair for the championships and was the head coach of the Dalhousie University men’s basketball team from 1987 to 1994.
Katie Butts of the UNB Reds is applauded by her teammates as she accepts MVP of the AUS championship. She put up 17 points and controlled the glass with 14 rebounds in the final.
Kylee Speedy holds up a piece of the netting that she cut down. Each member of the winning team climbed up a ladder one by one to cut off a piece of the net.
The UNB Reds women’s basketball team raises the AUS championship trophy. It was the first women’s basketball championship for the Reds since 1999.
After the women finished their celebrations, the men stepped up to the plate at the Scotiabank Centre in a tilt between the Acadia University Axemen and the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers. The Axemen won the AUS championship final 84-74.
The UPEI and Acadia teams huddle before the final. Both sides upset their higher-ranked opponents in the semifinal when the Axemen downed the UNB Reds, and the Panthers ended first-seed St. Francis Xavier University’s season for the second year in a row.
Acadia’s Briawne Wilson boxes out UPEI’s Justyce Grant. The men’s game matched the women’s physicality level as bodies hit the floor and each basket was earned.
Fifth-year guard Sam Chisholm rises for a layup. The game was extremely tight, with Acadia leading 61-58 heading into the fourth quarter.
Acadia fans go wild during the championship final. Each team had a rowdy student section during the games, with Acadia cheering harder as the seconds ticked down on an Axeman win.
The Axemen celebrate their win after the final whistle, with the student section soon rushing the court to celebrate with the team.
AUS men’s basketball championship MVP, Ryan Regault, shows off his champion hat after Acadia’s win. The birthday boy was sung “Happy Birthday” after he delivered several clutch shots in a game-high 22-point performance.
After three straight years without a playoff appearance, Acadia won its first men’s basketball championship since 2012.
Axeman fourth-year guard Gabe Davignon hugs his father after winning the championship.
