VANCOUVER –
David Wagner (Kamloops, BC) made a put-back layup with no time left to give his UBC Thunderbirds a 63-61 victory over the UBC Okanagan Heat in Canada West men's basketball action on Friday night in Kelowna.
BOX SCORE
“Tonight's game was a real struggle,” remarked UBC head coach
Kevin Hanson. “When a team takes 26 more shots than you and you have 22 turnovers, you shouldn't win. We were very fortunate to score the last hoop. David was in the right place at the right time.”
Wagner also scored a layup with 36 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 61-61. After a Heat turnover with 13 seconds on the clock, the T-Birds came down the floor to win the game at the buzzer, stunning a crowd that had been anticipating an upset.
UBCO started strong, taking a six-point lead on UBC in the first quarter. In the second, the Heat's defence, which has been their strength all season, was impressive, holding the T-Birds to just four points.
An Azi Fahandeg-Sadi three-point basket with 1:20 left before halftime gave UBCO a 36-26 lead that they took into the mid-game break.
The Thunderbirds turned the tables in the third quarter, starting the half with a 15-0 run, capped off by a Wagner layup with 4:41 left in the period, to take a 41-36 lead.
UBC couldn't put the home team away and the two squads went into the fourth quarter tied 46-46.
The T-Birds scored the first five points of the final quarter but UBCO then went on a 13-5 spurt to take a three-point advantage with just 1:46 to go in the game.
Doug Plumb (Pitt Meadows, BC) hit a pair of foul shots on the ensuing possession and
O'Brian Wallace (Toronto, ON) sank one of two free throws with 52 seconds left to tie the game.
UBCO's Dave MacKay gave his team the lead back with a pair of foul shots himself just two seconds later, setting up Wagner's final two buckets to win the game.
Wagner scored a game-high 20 points, while Plumb and
Isaiah Solomon (Richmond, BC) each chipped in with 12.
The T-Birds hit 20 of their 40 shots from the field but the Heat threw up 66 shots, making 22. UBC was 19-25 from the foul line and limited UBCO to 12 trips to the charity stripe.
The Thunderbirds extend their win streak to seven games and improve to 13-2 while the Heat fall to 2-14. UBC also clinches a Canada West playoff berth.
The two teams will play again on Saturday night with tipoff slated for 7 p.m. in Kelowna.
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