WINNIPEG - The No. 2-ranked UBC Thunderbirds (7-0) capped off a perfect first half to the regular season with a 93-75 victory over the Manitoba Bisons (3-6) at the Investors Group Athletic Centre in Winnipeg.
Saturday's victory saw a typically ferocious UBC defence control the first half while the T-Birds offence had five players hit double figures as UBC shot in excess of 52.0% (37-of-71) from the field for the second straight game.
UBC never trailed and it was the biggest half of
Kyle Watson's UBC career that staked them to a 48-28 advantage at the break.
Watson, a fifth-year forward, was a perfect 9-of-9 from the field for 18 points in the first 20 minutes before finishing the game with 20 points and seven rebounds.
Back-to-back layups by Watson with just over three minutes left in the first quarter gave UBC an 18-9 lead and the T-Birds maintained that nine point cushion through the first quarter. The fifth-year added three quick buckets midway through the second to give UBC a 37-22 advantage and then he capped off the half with the T-Birds last two buckets.
Behind Watson's perfect shooting performance, UBC was a combined 21-of-35 (60.0%) from the field while the Bisons were just 9-of-28 (32.1%).
If the first half belonged to Watson, it was
Nathan Yu that shined the brightest over the final two quarters, going 5-of-6 from the field including a trio three-pointers in the fourth quarter. The third year shooting guard came off the bench to lead UBC with 21 points.
Starters
Josh Whyte (18),
Kamar Burke (11), and
Blain LaBranche (10) also hit double figures with Burke pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds. UBC dominated the glass against the undersized Bisons, out rebounding the hosts 54-28.
Former T-Bird Sean Maxwell led the Bisons with 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting and he was 4-of-10 from behind the arc. The Bisons settled for a number of long range attempts, finishing 10-of-34 on the night from three-point land.
The victory improves UBC's record to 7-0 and with SFU's loss to Lethbridge on Friday, the T-Birds are alone atop the Pacific Division.
The reigning CIS silver medalists might also find themselves atop the CIS Top 10 this week as no. 1 Carleton suffered their first loss of the season on Friday, a 76-73 setback to the Lakehead Thunderwolves.
UBC last held the no. 1 overall CIS ranking last year, for just one week, but this time they could top the poll for the next six, as league play across the country essentially comes to end on Sunday.
The T-Birds open the second half of their regular season with a four-game homestand beginning on January 8 and 9 as they welcome the Regina Cougars and Brandon Bobcats to War Memorial Gym.
