VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds came from behind to force overtime, but fell 92-80 to the NAIA's Northwest Christian (Ore.) Beacons in a non-conference men's basketball contest at War Memorial Gym on Friday night.
"Honestly it could have gone either way," said NCU Head Coach and former Cleveland Cavalier Luke Jackson. "They missed quite a few free throws, which ended up helping us out. They might have beat us if they shot a bit better from the free throw line, but we got a couple stops, finished in transition and ended up being able to pull it out."
UBC Head Coach
Kevin Hanson knew his team wasn't at their best.
"I had a sense as soon as I walked into the change room that the focus wasn't there. It probably shouldn't have gone to overtime. We missed free throws and had far too many turnovers."
An early
Conor Morgan block sent
Jordan Jensen-Whyte on a fast break and the T-Birds' parade to the free throw line began. Foul shots proved to be a factor late, with UBC finishing at 54 per cent – going 20 for 37 on the night.
With the 'Birds enjoying an early lead, NCU's athletic guard Brendyn Taylor showed off his hops with a stone-cold block on
Phil Jalalpoor – as the Beacons closed the gap to just a two-point deficit late in the first quarter. Taylor finished with 25 points and five rebounds in the win.
Going into halftime, the 'Birds were down 31-24 – shooting just 27 per cent from the field with 13 turnovers, while the Beacons had seven steals.
It was a re-energized UBC squad in the third, as the T-Birds came out firing from beyond the arc, hitting three triples in the first four minutes. Morgan threw down his second dunk to pull the 'Birds to within four, and fought his way to a crucial and-one to made it a one-point game, with NCU ahead 65-64.
Taylor Browne nailed a three to give UBC its first lead since the first half, with less than three minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Taylor made a layup that put the Beacons up 72-69 with a half-minute left on the clock, but coming out of a timeout,
Will Ondrik hit his own clutch three with 27 seconds left on the clock to send it to overtime.
In the extra frame, the Beacons took advantage of UBC miscues and closed out a tough 12-point victory.
Seven-footer Kylor Kelley patrolled the paint for the Beacons with 11 rebounds and six blocks. For the 'Birds, Morgan put up 27 and Jalalpoor added 11 points and eight assists in the loss.
"You've got to give them credit," said Hanson. "They've got size, they've got shooters, they've got athleticism, and they've had a very strong start to their season."
NCU's Jackson appreciated the opportunity to travel north.
"I love the city of Vancouver, and I've got a lot of respect for UBC – the coaching staff and players. Its so hard to travel all the way up here and get a win, so I was proud of our guys."
Hanson sees room for improvement heading into Game 2 against the Beacons.
"We have to be more disciplined, we were very sloppy and we have to execute a lot better. We'll get back at it tomorrow."
The rematch will be contested at 5 p.m. on Saturday at War Memorial Gym.
