BRANDON, Man. – It was in the minus thirties outside and the Healthy Living Centre was as welcoming as walk-in clinic during flu season, making it a bitterly cold night overall in Brandon for the visiting UBC women's basketball team.
 
The Bobcats knocked off the 'Birds 71-63, moving the 'Cats one game up on UBC in the Canada West standings, and one game closer to clinching the team's first post-season berth since the early 1990's.
 
Entering this weekend's action, the two teams were tied for sixth place in the Canada West Pioneer division along with Winnipeg.
 
The Bobcats were paced by Keisha Cox's team-high 22 points while Alyssa Montgomery had eight points and nine rebounds. Fifth-year guard Aleah Bridges had a good game as well, registering five points, nine boards and six assists.
 
UBC was led by Kara Spotton's (Fort Collins, Colo.) game-high 24 points. Spotton also pulled down 10 rebounds, while Diana Lee (North Vancouver) finished with 15 points and rookie Jessica Hanson (Vancouver) had 11 points.
 
Both teams knew there was a lot riding on this game, but some timely shots and stopping the T-Birds' late momentum proved to be the difference for Brandon.
 
The two teams were evenly matched in terms of pace and energy in the first frame, but the Bobcats shot 53 per cent from the floor to the T-Birds 30 per cent.
 
The Bobcats started the second quarter on a 7-0 run, at which time the T-Birds called a time-out.  Brandon responded out of the time-out with a defensive stop, followed by a clutch three from Kylee Howard. The 'Cats continued their consistent shooting, hitting 43 per cent of their shots in the first half.
 
UBC started the third quarter strong with a 7-2 run, then cut Brandon's lead to five with three minutes on the clock. Brandon would prevail however, picking up the win and moving to 7-10 on the season. The loss drops UBC to 6-11.
 
The two teams play again Saturday night.