CALGARY - The no. 9 ranked UBC Thunderbirds (10-4) fell victim to their own mistakes on Saturday night, dropping a 71-66 decision to the Calgary Dinos (8-8) at the Jack Simpson Gymnasium.
The host Dinos took advantage of a trio of miscues from the Thunderbirds late and hit enough free throws over the final 60 seconds to snatch victory from the visiting 'Birds.
Alex Cole went 1-for-2 from the line with 1:57 remaining in the game to put her Dinos up 67-65.
Devan Lisson had a chance to pull UBC even a minute later but a missed free throw that allowed Calgary to maintain a one-point lead.
Following a defensive stop from the 'Birds, UBC turned the ball over on their next possession due to a shot clock violation. Forced to foul, UBC sent Megan Lang to the line with 18 seconds left.
Lang made her first free throw to put Calgary up 68-66. She missed her second, however, Dino rookie Robyn Gibson came down with a huge board for the hosts, earning a trip the line in the process.
The first-year hit one of two to increase the Dinos lead to 69-66. The T-Birds called a time out to draw up a play to tie with just 17 seconds left on the clock but didn't take advantage, committing another costly turnover with 11 second remaining. Tilly Ettinger iced the game for Calgary with a pair from the line.
Ashley Hill led the Dinos with 25 points thanks to a sparkling 7-of-11 performance from three-point land and Lang also cracked double figures with 13 points.
Alex Vieweg had a T-Bird best 21 points, on 8-of-12 shooting, but she was the only T-Bird to have any success on the road Saturday as UBC combined to go 19-of-62 from the field (30.6%).
UBC managed to control the flow of the game, however, and earned 38 free throws but failed to take advantage making just 26 (68.4%).
The Dinos, who had just five free throws until the final minutes of the game, relied on the three-point shooting of Hill and Co. (10-of-21, 47.6%) to come back from a nine-point half-time deficit.
The hosts took a 22-20 lead late in the first quarter on a Hill three-pointer, but it was mostly UBC in the second frame. An 8-0 run, that saw
Zara Huntley net six of her 18 points, had UBC ahead 33-26 with five minutes to play in the half. A 7-0 run from the 'Birds followed late in the quarter put them up 40-28 but that advantage proved to not be enough in the second half.
The Dinos made their move late in the third quarter, closing the frame on a 16-2 run that earned them a two-point lead heading into the fourth.
UBC remains on the road next weekend as they travel to Burnaby for a single game on Saturday against no.1 ranked SFU. The Dinos host the Regina Cougars in a pair of games next weekend with major playoff implications in the Prairie Division.
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