With files from TRU Sports Information

KAMLOOPS, B.C. - Point guard Josh Whyte came through when it mattered for the no. 2 ranked UBC Thunderbirds (4-0), capping off another solid performance with five straight points to lead UBC to an 84-81 victory over the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack (0-5) Thursday night at the Tournament Capital Center in Kamloops.

After jumping out to a 13-point lead early in the second quarter, the T-Birds watched the 'Pack respond with a dominating run that saw them lead by as many as 16 in the third quarter.

UBC found a way to close the gap with a strong fourth quarter and Whyte capped off the comeback in the final minute with back-to-back scores on T-Bird possessions.

A jumper by the fourth year guard with 43 seconds left gave UBC a three-point lead but a Drew Bleth three for the 'Pack knotted things at 81 with 39 seconds remaining.  Whyte had the answer as he converted an old fashioned three-point play with only 19 seconds left on the clock.

"We have had a couple of come from behind wins already this year and we are certainly getting better in the confidence that we are going to win the close ones," said UBC head coach Kevin Hanson. "At some point though it is going to kick you in the butt if we wait until the last minute. We have to be prepared for all four quarters, not just the last one."

Whyte led the T-Birds with 24 points, seven assists, and six rebounds but he was just one of two UBC starters to score more than three points.  Alex Murphy added 11 points, and it was the UBC bench that buoyed the T-Birds once again with a 45-point performance.

Melvyn Mayott had his best game as a T-Bird pouring in 17 points in just 20 minutes of action.  He was one of the T-Birds best shooters on a night when the visitors struggled from the floor.  The third year guard was 6-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-7 from downtown.  The rest of the T-Birds were a combined 7-of-30 from beyond the arc and just 24-of-64 from the field.

Bleth led TRU with 20 points and Greg Stewart added 16 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks.  The Wolfpack ended the game with better shooting numbers than the 'Birds, going 28-0f-61 from the field and 10-of-23 from downtown, however their 21 turnovers and Whyte's clutching shooting were too much to overcome.

The T-Birds appeared to be headed for an easy victory as they led 31-18 less than a minute into the second quarter.  A 24-4 run by the 'Pack turned the game completely around and the home team led 48-40 at the half.

TRU stretched their lead to 16 with four minutes left in the third quarter but UBC closed the frame on a 14-5 run to trim the lead to seven.

After the 'Pack pushed their lead back to 12 with 5:43 remaining, Nathan Yu hit a three to cut the lead to nine before back-to-back UBC layups from Whyte and Mayott cut the deficit to five.  

Yu then nailed another three to get UBC within a basket with 3:29 left and his third three pointer of the fourth quarter pulled the game level at 77-77 just over a minute later.  A Mayott layup with 1:28 left gave UBC their first lead since the second quarter at 79-78 before Whyte sealed the win.

Yu scored 13 points on the night off the bench with fifth-year Kyle Watson also earning his keep, netting nine points on 4-for-4 shooting from the field and adding a team-high 11 rebounds.

The two squads face-off again tomorrow night with tip off scheduled for 8 p.m.