VANCOUVER -
Alex Vieweg and
Lia St. Pierre combined for 34 points to help their UBC Thunderbirds hold off a fourth quarter charge by the Thompson Rivers WolfPack to pick up a 62-55 win on Friday at War Memorial Gym.
The T-Birds took a double digit lead into the final quarter, but Tracy Kocs wasn't about to let the 'Pack go down without a fight. The third-year guard was 4-of-4 from the field in the quarter, including a pair of three-pointers, pulling her side to within five points with under two minutes remaining.
But a clutch offensive rebound by
Zara Huntley on UBC's next possession allowed the 'Birds to run off most of the remaining time, and St. Pierre iced it by hitting a tough shot under the basket while being fouled. She made the free-throw to put her team up 61-55, sealing the win.
"We saw some really great things out of her and at critical times in the game she was a stabilizer for us on the floor," said UBC head coach
Deb Huband. "We had a lot of looks that we wanted but we were cold with our shooting, and Lia got some great hoops for us at critical times, which made a big difference."
St. Pierre finished with 17 points, five assists and five rebounds.
Vieweg was another difference-maker for the 'Birds on Friday, pulling down a game-high 15 rebounds to go with 17 points.
"There were a lot of boards to be had, and I was really happy with the way the girls went after it, Alex in particular." said Huband.
UBC outrebounded TRU 54-29, and outscored them 16-6 on second chance points. They also grabbed 11 steals, which Huband said was a key factor in sparking their offence at times.
Kocs led the WolfPack with 15 points, while Diane Schuetze had 13 points and seven rebounds. The 'Pack falls to 9-14 on the year, and they will need a win tomorrow plus three straight Fraser Valley losses to sneak into a playoff spot.
UBC moves to 14-7 on the year, and are currently sixth in Canada West, though they could finish as high as fourth with a strong finish to their season. They wrap up their series with the WolfPack on Saturday beginning at 6 p.m. before taking on Victoria in a crucial battle of two playoff-bound teams to finish the regular season next week.
-30-
