VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds defeated the McMaster Marauders 89-58 in an exhibition contest on Thursday night, effectively announcing that they are ready for the regular season to begin.
BOX SCORE
The Thunderbirds used tight and smothering defensive pressure to shut down the Marauders, who were playing without their floor general Adam Presutti. UBC forced 27 turnovers on the night, pressuring McMaster into mistakes in their offensive sets and causing them to get careless in the open court.
Beyond the turnovers, UBC held the Marauders to just 30.6% shooting from the field, including a 2-for-16 mark (12.5%) in the second quarter.
For head coach
Kevin Hanson, the game reaffirmed the messages he has been preaching to his team this preseason.
“I thought we did a really good job,” Hanson explained. “I thought defensively, that second quarter was big for us holding them to four points."
“I think they're going to be fighting for the Ontario championship, so we knew today was going to be a real test for us. I was happy with the way we played tonight, I thought we improved, and that's what you want to do.”
Perhaps no play better exemplified the type of effort and team-first basketball that was on display better than a play with two minutes remaining. Forward
Conor Morgan (Victoria, BC) hit the floor chasing a loose ball on defence and on the ensuing offensive possession he passed up a contested post shot to find an open man in
Michael Steele (North Vancouver, BC). Despite the 30-point lead in an exhibition game, Hanson still found his players willing to give their full effort and make smart basketball plays.
“It's something we work on in practice,” said Hanson. “Try and finish the play, try and finish the game. I think they did a good job of that.”
The game also marked a coming out party for
David Wagner (Kamloops, BC), who had his best game as a Thunderbird. Wagner was dominant and efficient, scoring 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting and adding seven rebounds.
Fellow sophomore
Geoff Pippus (Colorado Springs, Colorado) also had a big night with 13 points, including four three point field goals.
Tommy Nixon (Vancouver, BC) and Morgan chipped in with 12 and 14 points, respectively.
It was an interesting night in terms of scoring, as the team did not rely on their three primary offensive threats in
Brylle Kamen (Paris, France),
Doug Plumb (Pitt Meadows, BC) and
O'Brian Wallace (Toronto, ON). The veteran trio instead made their presence felt defensively. It's a trend that speaks volumes of the potential for this young squad, who will need big performances from their freshmen and sophomores if they are going to have success this year.
“It was a great opportunity to get lots of guys playing,” Hanson explained. “We played our rookies together a long time. It's an invaluable experience against a very good team.”
The team also got strong point guard play from their rookie duo of
Isaiah Solomon (Richmond, BC), who was a force on defense, and
Jordan Jensen-Whyte (Calgary, AB). The only player not to see the floor and contribute was the injured senior forward
Jared Casey (Maple Ridge, BC).
The win moves UBC's preseason record to 5-1 with all five wins coming against CIS teams and the only loss coming against Eastern Washington of the NCAA. This victory, in particular, is impressive as the Marauders were undefeated in the preseason to this point and are expected to be in the first installment of the CIS top-10 rankings that will be released on Tuesday.
The Thunderbirds wrap up their preseason on Saturday, playing host to last year's OUA runner-up Lakehead Thunderwolves at War Memorial Gym at 7 p.m.
-30-
