VANCOUVER — The No. 3 UBC Thunderbirds defeated the Manitoba Bisons 93-84 in overtime on the strength of a 20-point scoring performance by both fifth-year guard
Nathan Yu and second-year forward
Tommy Nixon on Friday at the Investors Group Athletic Centre in Winnipeg.
The win moves UBC into a tie for first place in the Canada West's Pacific Division with Victoria but the Vikes have played two more games.
With 21 seconds remaining in regulation, UBC fifth-year post
Balraj Bains momentarily surged the Thunderbirds ahead 78-76 as he slam-dunked an offensive rebound put-back. Manitoba responded quickly after calling time-out, as the Bisons executed a timely set-play eight seconds later when second-year forward Tanner Draward drained his jump-shot to tie the score at 78-78.
The Thunderbirds would go on to dominate the five minute overtime period with strong defence and steady free throw shooting (13 of 15 points in overtime), outscoring Bisons 15-6.
UBC head coach
Kevin Hanson credited the victory to his fourth- and fifth-year players, "Down the stretch in regulation and in overtime, our veteran guys stepped up and made plays. They earned defensive stops and made plays at the offensive end."
Thunderbirds fourth-year guard
Doug Plumb and fifth-year guard
Kamar Burke both provided double-double performances for UBC. Plumb racked up 16 points with 10 rebounds, while Burke collected 15 points and 15 boards.
Coach Hanson said he was relieved to see Burke stay in the game through the end despite suffering a dangerous fall earlier in the game, "We got worried when [he] went in for a layup and ended up landing flat on his back. He hit hard and we thought he might be down. He took some time and gathered himself and was great late in the game."
The Bisons held a five-point lead at half-time (44-39) thanks to their sharp 8-for-19 three-point shooting. Coach Hanson noted his team's play in first 20 minutes fell short of his expectations, "We really wanted to dictate the tempo of this game but in the first half we allowed them to play their style."
Manitoba third-year guard Kurtis Sansregret led all players in scoring with 21 points, while fourth year guard Kevin Oliver earned a double-double 15 points with 11 rebounds. Third-year guard Stephan Walton also factored prominently in the Bison offence with 20 points.
The win for UBC (9-2) extends their winning streak to five games to start the 2012 calendar year. The Thunderbirds stay in Winnipeg to play the Wesmen (4-9) at the Duckworth Centre on Saturday night, while the Bisons (8-5) host the UVic Vikes (10-3) at the Investors Group Athletic Centre.
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