VANCOUVER - After a less than dominating start, the no. 9 UBC Thunderbirds (8-3) used a big third quarter to seal their fourth win in a row, defeating the UFV Cascades (1-9) 84-60 on Friday night at War Memorial gym.
During the T-Birds four-game winning streak, they have taken victory by a minimum of at least 13 points, however, after the first quarter they only led 21-18. Adjustments were made and UBC slowly moved ahead, leading by nine at the break before a 27-point third quarter performance all but sealed the win.
"Early on they were out rebounding us offensively and had more points in the paint which isn't what we expected since we had the size advantage. In the second half we were able to turn that advantage into a better inside presence and that allowed us to get out on the floor and run, which is where we are more comfortable," said UBC head coach
Deb Huband.
Zara Huntley, a 6-foot-3 post, led UBC's attack with 21 points. She was only 5-of-10 from the floor, however, she was a stellar 11-of-14 from the line as she forced the Cascades into a number of fouls down low.
Alex Vieweg was second in scoring with 18 points while first-year guard
Chloee St. Amour set the table with a team-high six assists.
Jane Meadwell continued to lead the Cascades offence and finished the evening with 21 points. Meadwell, the leading scorer in the CW, was 10-of-11 from the line, however, her 5-of-23 shooting was symptomatic of UFV's troubles in finishing against a tough UBC defence.
As a squad, the Cascades shot 29.7% from the field (19-64) compared to UBC who ended the night at 50.8% (30-59)
"We weren't really happy with how we defended in the first half but in the second we did a much better job," noted Huband. "We had better individual responsibility and we tried to take their players away from their strengths."
The T-Birds nursed a 42-33 halftime lead thanks to Vieweg's perfect first half. The third-year forward was 5-for-5 from the field for 10 points. Huntley was also in double figures with 10 points.
Meadwell led all scorers at the break with 11 points while Nicole Wierks had nine boards at the break, including seven on the offensive glass, which helped give the Cascades 37 field goal attempts.
UFV, however, couldn't cash in on their extra possessions as they shot just 32.4% (12-37) over the first 20 minutes. UBC slowly pulled ahead with a pair of 21-point quarters on 50.0% shooting (16-32) from the field.
An even start saw UFV recover from a six-point deficit to take a 14-13 with 2:18 left in the first quarter, however, the 'Birds closed the frame on 8-4 run to lead 21-18.
The Cascades never got that close again as
Devan Lisson buried a three-pointer early in the second quarter and a pair of UBC free throws had the hosts up eight just over a minute into the quarter.
The two teams meet again tomorrow night at War Memorial. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
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