VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds struggled to find their rhythm offensively on opening weekend, as the Saskatchewan Huskies completed the two-game sweep with a 66-40 win over the 'Birds on Saturday night at War Memorial Gym.
The T-Birds shot 23.2 per cent from the field on Saturday, and that simply wasn't enough to keep them in the game against the reigning CIS bronze medalists. They were able to hang with the Huskies through the first half, as they trailed just 28-21 at the break thanks to some solid defence of their own, but Saskatchewan pulled away with a 15-0 run in the third quarter, outscoring UBC 22-5 in that frame.
"They came out really hard, and we wanted to set the tone but it just didn't happen," said UBC head coach
Deb Huband. "They set the tone, they led the tempo and we were chasing them all game. We were able to contain them a little defensively but they broke it open on us when we stalled in the third."
Jill Humbert led the Huskies with an efficient 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting, and also led a balanced rebounding effort with six boards. The Huskies held a 40-29 advantage in rebounding, but their most impressive stat was their 19 steals on the night. Jill Humbert topped the thievery list with six.
"Saskatchewan works hard defensively, but we didn't bring any intensity," said Huband. "Our cutting was slow and lethargic, and there was no deceptiveness to our game out there, so we made ourselves easy to guard."
Despite struggling offensively, the T-Birds showed good determination in the second quarter when they picked up three steals and held the Huskies to 30 per cent shooting. They seemed on the verge of turning things around early in the second half, when
Chloee St. Amour began the third quarter by hitting a three pointer after going down with an injury before the break. But the UBC momentum ended there, as the Huskies held the home side scoreless for nearly eight minutes after that basket.
"Our shooting percentage was very low, and although the shot selection could be improved, we had a lot of open looks that we have to hit, and we're just not hitting them right now," said Huband.
St. Amour tied
Lia St. Pierre and
Victoria Spangehl for the team scoring lead with six points in the game.
Alex Vieweg led the charge on the glass with five rebounds.
With week one in the books, the T-Birds now turn their attention to Langley, where they will meet the Trinity Western Spartans (1-1) next weekend for a pair of games. The Huskies return to Saskatchewan to begin a two-week homestand, with the 2-0 Victoria Vikes on the schedule next week.
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