VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds men's basketball team dropped a tight 92-89 decision to the visiting Seattle Mountaineers on Saturday afternoon, as the T-Birds continue to fine-tune their game in preparation for their Canada West home opener two weeks from now.
Conor Morgan was a terror all afternoon for the Blue and Gold, as the 6-foot-8 forward connected on 11-of-24 shots from the field for 28 points in 28 minutes of action. On the Mountaineers' side, it was centre Marcus Goode who was the offensive catalyst, as he dialed up 28 points of his own, aided by hitting 11-of-12 from the charity stripe.
Morgan was the only one firing on all cylinders for the 'Birds in the first half, as his 18 points nearly matched the 22 posted by the rest of the squad combined. With Goode leading the way with 19 of his own, Seattle charged out to a 47-40 lead by halftime.
The third frame saw a marked improvement from the T-Birds, as they outscored Seattle 27-25 in the frame, bringing the score to 72-67 for the Mountaineers. Fifth-year forward
David Wagner took the reigns for UBC in the third quarter, draining 12 of his 18 points during the 15-minute stretch.
UBC continued to press well into the final stanza, and shrunk the deficit to just three points at the wire. Down 92-89 with just 4.8 seconds remaining, guard Phillip Jalalpoor took an in-bounds pass and attempted a Hail Mary three-pointer, but couldn't quite get it to fall.
UBC head coach
Kevin Hanson minced no words when it came to what he thought was a poor showing from his squad, but he also admitted that their might have been external factors at play.
"We didn't play very good basketball, we didn't run our systems very well, and we've got to go back to the drawing board," said Hanson. "We need to play the way we practice – we practice with so much intensity, but for whatever reason, we were a bit tight today, with the first game on the home court here. It's the first time that half of our guys have even played on this floor. Good experience though, it's part of growth and part of what the season's all about."
The 'Birds should be more amped up for their next contest, as the SFU Clan will make their way to War Memorial Gym this Tuesday, October 27, as the two sides square off for the first time since 2010. With the Buchanan Cup on the line, the opening tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. (PT).
