VANCOUVER -
Kris Young missed a triple double by just one assist and
Zara Huntley had 17 points and 15 rebounds to lead the UBC Thunderbirds to a second half comeback win over the Victoria Vikes 83-66 on Friday night at War Memorial Gym.
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Young finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, and 10 of Huntley's 15 rebounds were on the offensive glass to help the 'Birds erase what was an 18-point deficit in the second quarter.
The Vikes came at UBC full tilt out of the gate with their playoff hopes still in the balance as the regular season draws to a close. They were shooting the lights out early on, led by Allison Mulock's 12 first half points on just four field goal attempts, and were up 10 points after the first quarter. They extended the advantage early in the second before the 'Birds began turning things around leading up to halftime.
"They were tough out of the gate and came at us really hard. We had a difficult time guarding them for the first 20 minutes," said UBC head coach
Deb Huband. "They were shooting a really high percentage but they were also executing stuff really well and we had to make some adjustments in the second half."
Huntley was a big part of the late second and early third quarter turnaround. She scored UBC's last four points of the second quarter including the final basket of the frame off one of her many offensive rebounds, and then began the third quarter with two blocked shots on the Vikes' first possession and two more points at the other end.
She was also a big part of the foul trouble that hurt the Vikes severely in the second half. Huntley got to the free throw line four times in the first half, and three Vikes starters had three fouls by halftime.
"We knew that they were dealing with some foul trouble and we just wanted to stay aggressive and try to run a little more and open things up, and I thought the girls did a great job," said Huband.
Guards Jessica Renfrew and Cassandra Goodis ended up fouling out early for the Vikes, while post players Sarah Semeniuk and Chelsea McMullen were also limited significantly by fouls.
But even more important for the T-Bird comeback than the fouls was the rebounding effort. By the end of the night, Young and Huntley alone had combined for more rebounds than the entire Vikes squad, and the T-Birds had 19 offensive rebounds compared to 21 defensive boards for Victoria. That led to a 24-5 advantage for UBC in second chance points.
The T-Birds finally took the lead for the first time since opening the game 1-0 late in the third quarter. Rookie guard
Cassandra Knievel nailed back to back threes to put UBC up 57-43 and they never looked back. She finished with 17 points.
But fittingly enough on seniors' night at UBC, it was the veterans that made the difference. Huntley turned in one of the best performances of her career in her final regular season home game, and fellow fifth-year
Alex Vieweg chipped in 12 efficient points and four assists.
"Both of them came in as rookies and were able to contribute right away. They mirror each other quite a bit when you look at their stats. There's not a lot that separates one from the other," Huband said of her graduating seniors. "They are both generous players and willing to commit to defence as well as contributing offensively. They both make an impact on the boards and both turned into very solid defensive players, and this year they've been great leaders for us. We're a younger team and really look to those two to set the tone, and they've both risen to the challenge."
Mulock led the Vikes with 16 points, while Deborah Yeboah added 15.
The win boosts UBC's record to 14-3. They have already locked up first place in the Pacific Division, and will finish the regular season next weekend with a single game in Victoria.
The Vikes fall to 8-9 though, and still have plenty to play for next week. They currently sit a half-game up on Trinity Western, who finished the year 8-10, and one game up on Thompson Rivers. However TRU still has two games remaining against the 2-14 UBC Okanagan Heat, so they have a good chance to overtake the Vikes for that third and final guaranteed playoff spot in the division if Victoria loses next week.
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