EDMONTON – The #5 ranked UBC Thunderbirds are off to the Canada West semifinals! Saturday afternoon in Edmonton, AB the 'Birds led for 35 of the game's 40 minutes en route to a 76-65 victory over the #4 ranked Alberta Golden Bears. Brian Wallack put forth a dominant performance, leading UBC with a game-best 25 points and 18 rebounds. Tobi Akinkunmi added 19 points and was four-for-four from three. UBC outrebounded the Bears 50-37 and out-blocked them 4-1. Adam Paige and Brandon Meiklejohn each responded with 15 points for Alberta.
 
"Brian [Wallack] loves the game so much," said Kevin Hanson post-game. "He came out and played physical, and didn't play scared. For a guy to step up the way he did, he set the tone for us. Everybody fed off of his energy and his leadership."
 
"Alberta is a good team. We knew we had to bring our best. Our team played exceptional and I'm really proud of our guys," added Brian Wallack, the UBC captain, during a postgame conversation on Canada West TV.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS
 
Through one quarter, UBC held a 21-18 advantage. For a second game in as many days, Luka Lizdek opened the scoring with a three-point make. Tobi Akinkunmi then continued right where he left off from yesterday, dropping back-to-back three pointers to stake the 'Birds to a 9-5 advantage. With Alberta then leading 18-16 late in the quarter, Brian Wallack began a stretch of five unanswered points which gave UBC the three-point cushion. Wallack finished the opening quarter with seven points (3/4 FG) while Tobi Akinkunmi was next with six (2/2 3PT). Julian Vaughns led the charge for the Golden Bears with six points (2/3 FG).


 
Alberta jumped out to a 7-2 run to start the second quarter to regain a two-point lead, BUT Jamesley Jerome and Tobi Akinkunmi responded with respective buckets to put UBC back on top. Buckets from James Woods and Brian Wallack then helped increase the UBC advantage to 33-27 with 4:33 to go in the second quarter. Back came the Bears with a 7-0 run which was highlighted by a go-ahead corner three from Adam Paige, giving Alberta the 38-37 lead. But the lead was sort lived Jack Cruz-Dumont took the inbounds pass, raced down the floor and drilled a buzzer-beating three to give UBC a two-point (40-38) halftime edge. The lead changed seven times over the course of the opening two quarters.
 
UBC's defense made a huge statement in the third quarter as they held Alberta to just 11 points. Neither team was able to find pay dirt in the early minutes, but 2:13 into the third quarter, Tobi Akinkunmi drilled a three to make it a five-point lead for the blue and gold. Then with 6:02 left in the third, UBC started a 10-2 run that included a three from Triston Matthews, a Brian Wallack layup and five combined free-throws made by Wallack and Tobi Akinkunmi. When the dust settled in the third quarter, UBC held a 59-49 lead. 37 of UBC's 59 points through the first three quarters came from Brian Wallack (21) and Tobi Akinkunmi (16).
 
UBC's defense remained unrelenting in the fourth quarter. It took the better part of four-and-a-half minutes for Alberta to register a basket. During that span, UBC started the final quarter on an 8-2 run. Again it was Tobi Akinkunmi and Brian Wallack carrying the mail for UBC as they combined for eight of UBC's first 10 points. A Brian Wallack layup with 4:15 remaining opened up a 15-point lead that they ultimately would not relinquish. A late push from Alberta moved them to within eight points, but Triston Matthews knocked down three free throws, ultimately clinching the victory for UBC. The final score was 76-65 favouring the Thunderbirds.


 
How stifling was the UBC D? Alberta only managed nine field goals on 42 second-half shots.
 
"Our entire group played so tough defensively," remarked Hanson. "Offensively we created some tough matchups on them and got them in foul trouble in the first half. Then to hold them to 27 points in the second half was a pretty special effort."
 
Up next for UBC, a trip to the semifinals against an opponent that is still yet to be determined. The games scheduled for tonight include:
 
#1 Victoria vs. #8 Regina
#2 Manitoba vs. #10 Calgary
 
*#3 ranked Winnipeg has also clinched a semifinal berth after a victory today against #6 Brandon.
 
*As the #5 seed, UBC would only host next week's semifinal if both Victoria and Manitoba fall in their games.
 
As for the semifinal approach, Kevin Hanson ended with, "We're just worried about ourselves. We just have to keep playing our style of game and adjust our style against specific opposition. At this moment we're just going to enjoy these victories and see how things unfold, then get ourselves ready for whatever opponent is up next for us."