WINNIPEG - The no. 8 ranked UBC Thunderbirds (4-3) fourth quarter comeback ran out of steam against the Winnipeg Wesmen (5-3) on Friday night with the host Wesmen prevailing 67-63 after the T-Birds charged late to tie the game.
Down as many as nine points in the fourth quarter, the visiting 'Birds slowly whittled away at the Wesmen lead and a pair of free throws by
Zara Huntley brought the score level at 59-59 with 3:01 left to play.
Amy Ogidan responded immediately for the Wesmen with a pair of free throws to put the home side ahead for good. Winnipeg made eight straight free-throws down the stretch and they used an 8-1 run to seal the win.
The Wesmen were a perfect 16-of-16 from the line, while UBC was 11-of-16, and that small advantage may have been the difference in the four point loss. Neither team shot the ball particularly well, UBC finished the night 22-of-57 (38.6%) from the field with the Wesmen at just 21-of-62 (33.9%), but the perfect performance from the Wesmen at the line helped them stave off the UBC comeback for good.
Jessica Stromberg led Winnipeg with 16 points and 10 rebounds as the Wesmen had four starters in double figures.
Huntley and
Alex Vieweg each had double-doubles on the night for UBC. Vieweg had a team-high 16 points and added 11 boards while Huntley netted 11 points and 14 boards, including six on the offensive glass.
The two teams went back and forth in the first quarter with the Wesmen leading 16-15 after 10 minutes of play. The second quarter saw Winnipeg stay ahead the entire frame, however, they never led by more than six and had just a four point advantage at the break.
An 8-0 run for the T-Birds early in third quarter featured their best offence on the night as they had three straight possession with a field goal, including two threes, and a long range conversion from
Devan Lisson gave UBC their lone lead of the second half at 39-38.
Winnipeg responded with a spirited run of their own and a 13-2 advantage had them leading by 10 with just under five minutes left in the quarter - the same advantage they carried into the final frame.
UBC closes the first half of their season on the road with a game against the Manitoba Bisons on Saturday night. Game time is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. PST.
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