VANCOUVER - The No. 3 ranked UBC Thunderbirds fought off a bid for a comeback by the No. 8 University of Saskatchewan Huskies to win 84-81 Saturday night at the PAC in Saskatoon.
BOX SCORE
An
O'Brian Wallace (Toronto, ON) three-pointer with 1:21 left in the fourth quarter put UBC up 77-72 after Saskatchewan had closed to within two points with less than two minutes left. The T-Birds hit five of six foul shots after that to seal the three-point victory.
The hometown Huskies spent the entire game playing catchup to the T-Birds, who opened the game on a 14-2 run capped off by a
Brylle Kamen (Paris, France) three-pointer halfway through the first quarter.
The Thunderbirds led 23-14 after the first period and 40-33 at halftime.
The Huskies found a stride in the second half to sit down by four, 60-56, heading into the final frame.
The small gap didn't faze the Thunderbirds, who continued to find the net in the fourth quarter to hold off the Huskies. Saskatchewan was able to pull the lead to three or under seven times in the fourth but could never pull ahead.
With the win UBC moves to 6-1 on the season, while the Huskies drop to 4-3.
The Thunderbirds scored by committee in the victory with five players in double digits. Kamen led the way with a game-high 18 points and 12 rebounds. Wallace scored 16, while
Doug Plumb (Pitt Meadows, BC) and
Tommy Nixon (Vancouver, BC) each had 13 points.
David Wagner (Kamloops, BC) chipped in with another 12.
Fifth-year Patrick Burns led the way for the Huskies scoring 17 points and six rebounds. Stephon Lamar added another 16 points, while Ben Baker scored 14 and Andrew Henry had 11.
UBC shot 49% in the game, while the Huskies shot at 42%. The T-Birds also won the battle on the boards nabbing 43 rebounds in the game. Saskatchewan had 29.
The Huskies face the Victoria Vikes Saturday night, while the Thunderbirds travel to Edmonton to meet the Alberta Golden Bears. Tipoff in Edmonton is set for 7 p.m. Pacific.
- with files from Nicole Betker (Saskatchewan Sports Information)
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