VANCOUVER - For the fifth straight game, the UBC Thunderbirds put together an impressive defensive performance, defeating the Calgary Dinos 66-42 at War Memorial Gym. The win extends UBC's (11-5) current winning streak to eight games while the Dinos (4-10) remain on the outside of the Canada West playoff picture.
UBC head coach
Deb Huband credits her team's effort on defence as a big reason for their current streak.
"I think that defensive intensity is the key to our success. It's something that has the potential to separate us from some other teams. We've really been focusing on trying to take some teams out of what they want to do and make sure to do our best not to give up the easy basket."
The Dinos were under pressure all evening and finished the game 17-of-59 (28.8%) from the floor including an 0-for-15 performance from downtown. As has been the case for UBC opponents in 2011, the first quarter was not kind to the Dinos and they managed just four points on 2-of-19 (10.5%) shooting.
That UBC defensive dominance continued into the second quarter and at one point the Dinos were held scoreless for more than eight minutes. A bucket from Megan Lang broke that streak and propelled her Dinos on a 6-0 run that brought the visitors to within three with just under seven minutes left before the half. It was all UBC from then until the break, as they closed the half on a 14-3 run to lead 27-13 after 20 minutes.
In the third quarter, the 'Birds opened up on offence and out scored the Dinos 29-17 to put the game out of reach heading into the fourth.
As a team, UBC shot 42.4% (25-of-59) and were led by
Lia St. Pierre who finished with 15 points and five assists and
Alex Vieweg who had 13 points and six rebounds. Vieweg and St. Pierre were also two of six T-Birds to finish with at least four rebounds as UBC dominated the glass with a healthy 47-30 advantage over Calgary.
Huband noted this effort as another factor in her team's strong play.
"We did a solid job with rebounding which allowed us to generate some offence off of our defence," said Huband. "We want everybody to be responsible when it comes to rebounding - it's a five player job. The mentality that possession is important is something we emphasize and you have to work hard to get the ball at every chance you get."
Calgary was paced by Ashley Hill who had a team-high nine points.
UBC is on the road next weekend at Brandon while the Dinos return home to host the TWU Spartans.
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