VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds women's basketball team extended its win streak to four consecutive games with a 64-54 victory over the Manitoba Bisons Saturday afternoon at the Investors Group Athletic Centre in Winnipeg.
 
UBC improves to 6-6 while Manitoba is 0-12 in Canada West play.
 
Veteran Thunderbirds guard Diana Lee led both teams with 15 points, while Manitoba's Nicole Konieczny had 13.
 
UBC needed a strong second half to secure the victory, as the team trailed 34-28 at the mid-game break.
 
The 'Birds slowly chipped away at their deficit, and a layup from Cherub Lum (Vancouver) midway through the third quarter put UBC ahead 39-38. After the home side tied the score at 41-41, the Thunderbirds scored the last six points – on buckets from Jessica Hanson (Vancouver) and Susan Thompson (Calgary) and free throws by Lee.
 
After Manitoba got to within a point of UBC early in the fourth quarter, the T-Birds reeled off seven straight points with four coming from Adrienne Parkin and three from Lee.
 
Hanson's three-point basket with about four minutes remaining the game put UBC up by 10 points at 58-48. The Bisons got within six points with about a minute to go but couldn't get any closer as the Blue and Gold left Winnipeg with the sweep.
 
Parkin and Hanson both finished the night with 12 points. Parkin also had a team-high eight rebounds.
 
UBC shot 30.8 per cent (20-65) from the field and 74.1 per cent from the foul line, going 20 for 27. Manitoba managed just six shots from the charity stripe for the entire game. The Bisons shot 35.5 per cent (22-62) from the field.
 
UBC will host the Regina Cougars next weekend at War Memorial Gymnasium. The program will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 2005-06 CIS championship-winning squad on Saturday.
 
The Bell NBA All-Star Challenge presented by AIR MILES is making its way across Canada ahead of the 2016 NBA All-Star Game in Toronto, and on Saturday, January 23, the competition will make its way to UBC's Point Grey campus.

Saturday's festivities, culminating with the Thunderbirds men's and women's double-header against the Regina Cougars,will be headlined by an NBA skills competition, and appearances from former Vancouver Grizzlies icon Shareef Abdur-Rahim. The NBA will be rolling out the full big-league experience at War Memorial Gym during the two Thunderbird basketball games, as sponsors Bell, Samsung, BMO, and AIR MILES will be doling out prizes, giveaways amidst a host of interactive exhibits and performances.