VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds played perhaps their best game of the season to open Canada West playoff action on Thursday, taking game one of their best-of-three series with the Alberta Pandas 85-51 at War Memorial Gym.
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Six T-Birds scored in double digits and the team shot 56 per cent from the field, while holding the Pandas to 32 per cent shooting. Sophomore shooting guard
Kris Young also set a UBC record with 12 assists in the game.
UBC set the tone right off the bat, forcing Alberta turnovers on their first two possessions, and capitalizing on both opportunities with three pointers. One from
Alex Vieweg and one from
Kristen Hughes.
"I thought we came out very tough defensively and hot offensively. We were able to set the tone and didn't let up for 40 minutes," said UBC head coach
Deb Huband. "We've been trying to put 40 minutes of good basketball together and tonight was the closest we've gotten to that."
The 'Birds went on to shoot 9-18 from behind the three point line. Vieweg was 3-3 and Hughes was 4-6. But as good as the offence was, the defence was just as important on Thursday. UBC forced 21 turnovers and outscored Alberta 28-16 in points off turnovers.
"Any time you can hit your threes its a bonus because it stretches the defence and gives your team confidence. Getting off to a hot start really helped, but so did the stops we got," Huband said. "We were able to do some things defensively that took them out of some looks. We talk about our defence being the strength and the backbone of who we are, and I think we did an exceptional job defensively tonight."
Young was heavily involved in that defensive effort, blocking one shot and grabbing three steals, but her ball distribution offensively was the real story of her night. She racked up nine assists in the first half and finished with a UBC single game record of 12.
"She sees the floor really well and she's getting some really nice looks for her teammates," Huband said of her standout second-year shooting guard. "She has really good court vision and she's willing to make the pass. She's a team player and I think she'd tell you she enjoys the assists more than the baskets."
While an impact performance from Young was hardly surprising, the T-Birds also benefited from a big game off the bench from Tori Spangehl. She posted a career-high 12 points and grabbed five rebounds in 18 quality minutes.
"She had some nice finishes around the basket and ran the floor really well," said Huband. "She adds that rare athleticism and I think the more experience she gets on the floor the more you're going to see the things she can bring to the team."
Hughes' 16 points were a game high, while Vieweg, Young, Spangehl,
Zara Huntley and
Leigh Stansfield all cracked double digits as well for UBC.
Nicole Clarke led the Pandas with 13 points and Sally Hillier dropped 12.
The teams get Friday off to rest up now before getting back to the grind for game two on Saturday at 3 p.m. If the Pandas can force a game three, it will go Sunday at 3 p.m. All games are at UBC's War Memorial Gym.
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