VANCOUVER - The no. 10 ranked UBC Thunderbirds (6-3) got a big performance from their starting five with each player hitting double figures as they took down the no. 3 ranked Regina Cougars (7-2) 76-63 at War Memorial Gym on Friday night.
Zara Huntley and
Alex Vieweg each finished with 14 points and
Devan Lisson (13),
Lia St. Pierre (12), and
Candace Morisset (11) all chipped in with double digit scoring efforts.
The T-Birds offence was running smoothly all game and they finished the contest 28-of-57 (49.1%) from the field. The visiting Cougars struggled with their touch and were successful on just 39.1% (25-of-64) of their field goals.
"We executed really well on offence and played a strong team game. We had an outstanding December and that really showed tonight in the steps we have taken from the end of November until today," said UBC head coach
Deb Huband. "This is the first of 10 games [left in the season] and we just want to keep on getting better."
The T-Birds led the entire second half, however, a pair of free throws and a layup from Joanna Zalesiak cut the UBC advantage to just three points with 5:12 remaining in the fourth quarter.
UBC responded with seven straight points, and not surprisingly relied on three different players for points in the run. A pair of free throws from Lisson and a layup from Huntley restored UBC's seven point advantage. A three pointer from Morisset deep in the corner followed and was the dagger as the fifth-year put UBC up 10 with just three minutes left.
The Cougars had no response down the stretch, as a tenacious UBC defence held the no. 3 ranked team in the country to just three points the rest of the way.
Zaleisak led the visitors with 15 points and was solid from the floor, going 6-of-10, however team leader Brittany Read was never able to find her rhythm and finished with just 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting before fouling out.
"We knew that she [Read] was a dominant post player when she gets position in the paint and is hard to guard. We were trying to be a bit physical with her and not allow her to establish herself," noted Huband about her team's success in keeping Read contained. "I thought our bigs really stepped up and everyone that was in the game played tough both physically and mentally."
Read, who leads the league in rebounding, still found success on the glass with 15 boards, however, the Cougars, who came into the contest with a league best +12 rebounding margin, were soundly out rebounded 40-34 by UBC.
Despite UBC's advantage in the second half, the game was up for grabs early.
An even opening frame saw Regina with a modest 20-17 lead, however, the Cougars used an 11-2 run early in the second quarter to lead by 10 with just over seven minutes left in the half.
The T-Birds responded with the long ball and back-to-back threes by Lisson brought UBC to within four. UBC retook the lead 32-31 with 1:39 to play in the half after
Arianne Duchesne fed
Montanna Dunmore with a great pass in the post which led to an easy layup.
Zalesiak responded with a bucket to put the Cougars up one with a minute to play, however, UBC restored a two-point lead just before the half with a three-pointer from St. Pierre.
UBC hosts the Brandon Bobcats (1-10) on Saturday night (6:00 p.m.) while Regina travels to Vancouver Island for a date with the no. 7 ranked Victoria Vikes (5-3).
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