TORONTO - The University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds clinched a spot in the Darcel Wright Memorial Classic championship game after a 76-60 semifinal victory over the UBC Thunderbirds. The Reds led by as many as 18 points in the third quarter and were able to close out a strong UBC squad.
BOXSCORE (PDF file)
"UNB did a good job of controlling the tempo and creating open looks for their range shooters. They were hot tonight," said UBC head coach
Deb Huband. "We will learn from this game and be better for it tomorrow. Leigh (Stansfield) was a dominant force inside finishing her shots and hitting the boards."
UBC scored on their first two possessions of the game but the last time the Thunderbirds would hold a lead was at 6-5. UNB went on a 9-4 run to end the first quarter and held a 19-13 advantage at the break.
The Thunderbirds had difficulty penetrating the Reds' defence, being forced to keep to the perimeter. For the half, UBC shot 3-9 from beyond the arc but were outdone by UNB who cashed in on 6-of-13 from long range. Claire Colborne (Calgary, Alta.) drained three long balls in the second quarter alone and finished the game 4-of-6 from long distance.
The Varsity Reds built up a 15 point lead with 2:40 remaining in the first half but UBC's
Kris Young (North Vancouver, B.C.) hit a buzzer beater to round out the scoring with UNB ahead 37-25 at half time.
Colleen Daly (Ancaster, Ont.) had seven points in the third quarter to help UNB build an 18 point lead which they rode to finish with a 76-60 victory.
UNB's Laura Fowler (Moncton, N.B.) had a game-high 19 points while Colborne finished with 16. Daly and Tilly Ettinger (Calgary, Alta.) also finished in double digits with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Young led the Thunderbirds with 17 points while
Leigh Stansfield (Victoria, B.C.) finished with an impressive 16 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.
UBC falls to 1-1 in non-conference play. The team will face Laval for the tournament's third place honour on Sunday at 11 a.m. Pacific time. The game will be
streamed live.
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