The University of British Columbia Athletics

Vancouver, BC - The Alberta Golden Bears outscored the UBC Thunderbirds by 14 points in the second half en route to a 77-61 victory Friday night at War Memorial Gym. With the win, the Golden Bears improve to 10-1, while UBC drops to 4-7.
 


Both teams struggled to organize their offensive efforts early in the game, suffering from incomplete passes and excessive fouling. Jordan Baker kick started the Bears' offence, contributing five points early on in the second quarter. UBC's Brylle Kamen responded, hitting back to back three-pointers that contributed six of his fourteen points during the first half. The 'Birds trailed 29-27 at the break.
 
The third quarter was the difference on the night as the Bears, who came into the game tied for the best record in the Canada West, started to take over extending their lead to 11 points, 52-41 after three quarters of action.

Alberta maintained this momentum throughout the fourth, winning 77-61.
 
The Golden Bears were championed by Jordan Baker and Kenneth Otieno, who contributed 15 and 14 points, respectively. Robert Dewar lead Alberta in rebounding, with 9.
 
Despite the loss, a good sign for the Thunderbirds was the play of Brylle Kamen, who finished the night with a double-double, 25 points and 13 rebounds. 

Head Coach Kevin Hanson recognized the valor in tonight's performance:  "Alberta is a very good basketball team. They have a lot of weapons and we did some things that we wanted to do; but, I didn't think our level of competition was what I wanted it to be and I think we have to come out with a bit more energy and passion tomorrow against Saskatchewan. I thought we had a good week of practice and our preparation was good but I think we just faced a tough opponent tonight."
 
In regard to Kamen's remarkable night, Hanson noted "Brylle has been injured all season so far, but if he is healthy, he is a heck of a player so we just have to hope he can stay healthy for us."
 
Tomorrow night the Thunderbirds will host the University of Saskatchewan Huskies (9-2) at 7:00pm at War Memorial Gymnasium. Former UBC head coach Bruce Enns, who spent 14 years at the helm, will be recognized.