VANCOUVER- The UBC Thunderbirds men's basketball team (18-2, 12-1) looked every bit the part the No. 3-ranked team in the country on Friday night, dominating both sides of the ball in 81-60 win over the Mount Royal Cougars (7-6, 7-6).

"I thought, defensively, we had a pretty good effort," said UBC head coach Kevin Hanson. "We held them to 33 in the first half, and we took them out of what they like to do. I thought our guys competed hard on the road, and we're happy with the result, obviously."

Senior forward Conor Morgan was his usual self for the Thunderbirds, going 9-of-14 from the field, including three triples, en route to a game-high 24 points, while adding a team-high seven boards for good measure. 



However, it was the Thunderbirds' stifling defense that won them the game – despite Brett Layton's 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, the Cougars made just 20-of-61 (31.3%) of their shots in the face of relentless UBC pressure.

Morgan picked apart the Cougars early and often in the contest, making four first quarter shots to lead his team with 11 points. Behind Morgan and that defense, which only allowed the Cougars to hit four shots in the opening 10 minutes, the 'Birds took a 21-12 lead into the break.

The game found more of a back-and-forth rhythm in the second frame, with each side posting 21 points. Still, the Cougars couldn't find any form of consistency on offense, and found themselves unable to chip into the UBC lead. 

With Morgan at 17 by halftime, the T-Birds held a 42-33 advantage.

The 'Birds opened up a 60-40 lead on a 5-0 run with just under four minutes remaining in the third frame, as Phil Jalalpoor's triple was followed by a dynamic play from Morgan, blocking a jumper in his own end before running the length of the floor and slamming it home.

Phil Jalalpoor triple - followed by a @Conormorgan09 block and dunk that confuses camera operator and play-by-play announcer. #GoBirdsGo pic.twitter.com/XZmBUtqCK7

— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) January 21, 2017

On the offensive side of the ball, the Thunderbirds had the Cougars' number from both long distance and inside the paint, overpowering Mount Royal constantly and attaining a 22-point lead to end the third.

Following a six-point Cougars run to open the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to 68-52, Hanson would call a timeout, and it seemed to work, as the 'Birds put the hammer down with an 8-0 stretch of their own, before cruising the rest of the way to a final score of 81-60.

"Overall, it was a positive game for us," said Hanson. "But we're looking forward to tomorrow and trying to clean up some of the little stuff here and there."

The T-Birds and Cougars will again square off tomorrow night, with tip-off set for 5:00 pm at Kenyon Court.