VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds steadily built their lead up to 63-48 at the final whistle on Saturday night against the Winnipeg Wesmen. They would have outscored the Wesmen in each quarter were it not for a three-point buzzer beater by rookie Megan Noonan (Winnipeg, MB) to finish off the game.
BOX SCORE
The 9-3 Thunderbirds extended their win streak to eight games (five in regular season action) and haven't lost since Nov. 23 in Saskatchewan. Winnipeg now drops to 5-8.
"We had another strong defensive outing, holding Winnipeg well below their scoring average," said UBC head coach
Deb Huband. "That coupled with our better long range shooting in the second half allowed us to build a lead."
UBC's shooters were in much better rhythm tonight than they were last night against the Bisons. They shot an effective 46.4% from the floor while holding Winnipeg to just 37.5%.
Kris Young (North Vancouver, BC) led all players with 20 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.
Leigh Stansfield (Victoria, BC) and
Adrienne Parkin (Vancouver, BC) followed up with ten and nine points each, respectively. Rookie
Jaime Hills (North Vancouver, BC) had a strong outing off the bench, scoring eight points in just twelve minutes on the floor.
Yael Kaplan (Winnipeg, MB) had eight points to lead the Wesmen, while Noonan added seven. Stephanie Kleysen (Winnipeg, MB), Alex Warburton (Carman, MB), and Tia Coulter (Brandon, MB) each had six points apiece.
The two teams traded slim leads a few times in the first and second quarter, but a jumper by Stansfield half way through the second gave UBC the advantage that they never again relinquished.
"
Victoria Spangehl was out with the flu today, but
Adrienne Parkin,
Leigh Stansfield, and
Stephanie Bell all contributed in different ways," said Huband. "Our leadership at the point was stronger tonight which was key with the defensive adjustments that Winnipeg made. We are pleased to take these two important wins from this swing trip.
The Thunderbirds had a 31-25 lead at the half, and were up by 15 points at the end of the third. Their lead peaked at 19 points when
Alyssa Binns (Port Moody, BC) dished off to Young for an open jumper with five minutes remaining.
"It was nice to see everyone contribute to the win," said Huband. "
Kris Young led the way with a strong overall game, creating for her teammates and earning seven assists."
The Thunderbirds return to War Memorial Gym next weekend for their first home games of 2013.
In an interesting scheduling situation, it looks to be a weekend of two extremes. The Brandon Bobcats come in on Friday night having not yet won a game this season, while on Saturday night UBC will look to become just the second team to take down the Regina Cougars.
Tip-off for those games will be at 6 p.m. and 5 p.m. Pacific, respectively.
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