VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds women's basketball team completed a perfect three-game set at the University of Alberta HoopFest bydefeating the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks by a score of 74-58 in Edmonton on Sunday afternoon.
UBC finished the three-day exhibition event as the only undefeated team.
“I thought it was a solid effort, a team effort again,” said head coach
Deb Huband. “It was a little bit sloppy and the energy wasn't where we wanted it to be but it was our third game in three days. I think that was a factor. But again, we had another chance to see everybody in a competitive environment on the court and I think for the most part, we were able to have an impact defensively.”
Zara Huntley (5th, Halifax, NS) led UBC by making 11 of her 16 field goal attempts for 24 points in all.
“
Zara Huntley had a breakout game today,” stated Huband.
The Thunderbirds started off well, with a 19-12 advantage in the first quarter. UBC extended that lead to 39-28 at the half.
Laurier never got to within single digits of UBC in the second half. The Thunderbirds shot 48% from the field, while Laurier's figure was 32%.
“We had some nice team play, our assists were up and our turnovers were down, which were two of the areas we were trying to improve on,” said Huband. “We allowed them too many free throws, because of some of the fouling we did. But it was still a good chance for us to work on some things defensively and clarify some of our strategies and give people a chance to get on the floor and work them through.”
Alex Vieweg (5th, North Vancouver, BC) added 14 points for UBC and was named as a tournament all-star, while
Kris Young (2nd, North Vancouver, BC) chipped in with a solid 12 points and six assists.
UBC did not make a single three-point shot in 14 attempts but Huband cited tired legs as a possible culprit.
Shelby Kurt led Laurier with 18 points in a losing cause.
UBC remains undefeated in the pre-season and will host two games next week, against UBC Okanagan and Lakehead respectively, at War Memorial Gymnasium.
