VANCOUVER - The no. 9 ranked UBC Thunderbirds (9-3) parlayed a 30-7 first quarter advantage into a 84-62 victory over the UFV Cascades (1-10) Saturday night at War Memorial Gym.
The win marks the T-Birds fourth straight to begin 2010 and solidifies UBC's hold on second spot in the Pacific Division as they are currently one and a half games ahead of the Victoria Vikes.
""We got everyone substantial court time and gained some experience on the floor in a game situation which is a really big positive at this point in the season," said UBC head coach
Deb Huband. "We came out of the gates really well and then after that we may have lost our focus at times but we worked on a lot of our playbook and really gained a deeper understanding of what we are trying to do."
All five UBC starters scored nine points or more with
Lia St. Pierre notching a team-high 20 to go along with four boards and three assists. The second-year forward-guard was a force all game, scoring from the perimeter and down low.
"Lia's gets a lot of looks with the stuff we do but she also creates a lot herself through good reads and being a versatile player," explained Huband. "She's an inside-outside threat and she was a difference maker all over the court for us tonight. She's a second year playing with the composure of a fourth year."
St. Pierre put her stamp on the contest in the second quarter scoring nine points to help the T-Birds to a 24-point half-time lead. She did a bit of everything in the second frame, making a three-pointer as the shot clock expired in addition to a number of great drives and fancy finishes. St. Pierre ended the first half with 14 points on on 6-of-7 shooting.
UBC couldn't have asked for a much better start, pouring in 30 points over the first 10 minutes to take a commanding 23 point lead, however, the Cascades fought back over the final three quarters and actually outscored the T-Birds by one-point the rest of the way.
Jane Meadwell once again led the UFV offence with 21 points, including an 11-of-14 performance at the free throw line. Aieisha Luyken scored 16 points for the visitors and Alyssa Glaukel added 13 points and nine boards as those three starters accounted for 50 of the Cascades 62 points.
UFV again struggled shooting the ball and netted only 28.8% of their field goals (19-66). That lack of success in finishing, combined with being out rebounded 52-34 gave the T-Birds all the control they needed in the win.
Montanna Dunmore had a strong game for UBC off the bench, scoring 12 points and grabbing seven boards, including four on the offensive glass to help pace a T-Bird squad that netted 29 second-chance points.
The T-Birds next three games are on the road. They swing through Alberta next weekend stopping in Lethbridge on Friday before taking on the Calgary Dinos on Saturday. The following weekend they have a single game against SFU on Saturday, January 30.
UFV hosts top ten teams Alberta and Saskatchewan next weekend.
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