COSTA MESA, CA - A dominant performance from the floor carried the UBC Thunderbirds to a 78-69 victory over the Vanguard University Lions (NAIA) on Tuesday night in Costa Mesa, Calif.
UBC finished the game 27-of-39 (69.2%) from the field but had to hold on late thanks in large part to VU's 18 offensive rebounds which gave them a plethora of second chance opportunities.
Fifth-years
Brent Malish and
Josh Whyte paced the T-Birds with 17 points apiece and Malish added a game-high 11 rebounds. Fellow fifth-year
Alex Murphy chipped in with 12 points and six assists and iced the game from the free throw line with four straight makes in the final 16 seconds.
Despite their strong performance from the field, UBC struggled from the charity stripe as they were only 18-of-33 (54.5%) on the night but Murphy converted when it mattered most as the Lions were attempting one last comeback.
The T-Birds recovered from a slow start and slowly built their lead through the first half, going ahead by as many as 13 with just under five minutes remaining. They retained that lead at the break, up 43-30, before the Lions cut the deficit to just two points with eight minutes left in the second frame. Vanguard never closed the gap completely as UBC responded with a 10-2 run to take control down the stretch.
William Thompson led all scorers with 28 points for the hosts and was joined in double figures by Cameron Nettles who finished with 14.
UBC continues their road trip through California with a pair of games at Tom Byron Classic in Santa Barbara, Calif., on Wednesday and Thursday.
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