VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds opened up their regular season with a 91-84 victory over Trinity Western on the road on Friday night.
UBC, ranked #2 in the country in the season's first CIS top-10 poll, moves to 1-0 after a successful preseason that saw them defeat all CIS competition they faced, losing only to Eastern Washington of the NCAA.
For Trinity Western, the loss in the home opener puts their record at 0-1 to start the year. The Spartans had an up-and-down preseason, finishing 3-3 against CIS competition with a loss to Eastern Washington as well.
UBC managed to get out to an early lead, extending a three-point first quarter margin to 13 by halftime. The Thunderbirds held the Spartans to just 33% shooting in the half for just 33 points, while they also got hot from long range, hitting seven of 13 three point attempts as a team.
O'Brian Wallace (Toronto, ON) led the offensive charge by pouring in 23 of his game-high 34 points in the first half.
In the second half, Trinity Western found their shooting touch, hitting on 50% of their shots and adding in seven threes, while UBC got cold from long range and hit just one of nine attempts. This allowed the Spartans to shave the 13-point lead down to three heading into the fourth quarter.
Led by the steady hand of freshman point guard
Isaiah Solomon (Richmond, BC), UBC was able to settle the pace and put a stop to Trinity Western's momentum. While the Spartans managed 26 points in the fourth quarter, UBC had 30 of their own, sealing the game at 91-84 with some late free throws by Wallace and Solomon.
The Thunderbirds were without one of their top scorers from the preseason in
Brylle Kamen (Paris, France), who is nursing a hamstring injury. Fifth-year guard
Doug Plumb (Pitt Meadows, BC) stepped up in his absence, scoring 22 points on just 13 field goal attempts. Wallace had nine rebounds to accompany his 34 points, while Solomon added 20 points and five assists to his heady management of the team.
The win was aided by a bus full of Blue Crew Thunderbird fans that made the one-hour trip to Langley for the game, giving the road contest a home-court feel.
Trinity Western will host UBC again on Saturday at 7 p.m.
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