VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds capped off the first half of the regular season with a dominant performance against the Lethbridge Pronghorns, extending their winning streak to four games with a 94-55 win on Friday night at War Memorial Gym.
The 'Birds wasted little time taking control of the game, starting off with an 18-2 run to build an imposing first quarter lead, and promptly extending it with a 14-2 run to start the second quarter. They led 39-17 at halftime, holding the 'Horns to under 30 per cent shooting in the process.
"Any time you can hold a team that low you are giving yourself a lot of transition opportunities," said UBC head coach
Deb Huband. "We have been working towards trying to be more disciplined for each defensive possession and we know if we can do that, we are capable of holding teams to minimal scoring."
The visitors found a little more offence in the second half, but unfortunately for them, the T-Birds did as well. UBC shot 66.7 per cent from the field in the second half, and the 94 points the T-Birds finished with was 16 better than their previous scoring high this season.
"We have made a lot of progress as a team," said Huband. "It was nice to see us put together 40 minutes and play solid defensively and offensively. We got a lot of people involved offensively and had a lot of weapons on the floor. It was a really positive step forward for our team."
Alex Vieweg had one of her best games of the year with 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting to go along with a game-high 10 rebounds.
"She is a very hard-working player and she's very committed to basketball so it's nice to see her rewarded for her efforts," said Huband. "This weekend she really got her offensive touch back, made some good decisions and finished well."
Her rebounding effort played a big part in the win, as the 'Birds held a 47-25 advantage on the boards, leading to 24 second chance points to Lethbridge's 10.
Zara Huntley led the offence with 22 points.
Lia St. Pierre and
Devan Lisson combined for 21 points and 12 assists.
Alyssa Binns added 10 points off the bench on perfect shooting. She was 2-for-2 from three-point range and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
Lauren Taal and Becky Heninger combined for more than half of Lethrbridge's offence. Taal led the way with 18 points while Heninger chipped in 14.
The T-Birds are up to 7-5 on the year now, but will have to wait over a month to try extend their four-game winning streak. Their season picks up on January 7 when they start a two-game series on the road against the Manitoba Bisons. The Pronghorns fall to 2-10 and will be at home against Alberta to start the second half of their schedule.
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