VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds will be one of the youngest, if not the youngest, squads in head coach Deb Huband's illustrious tenure at UBC, but for two of the four quarters in a 77-57 pre-season win over the Brandon Bobcats they looked wise beyond their years.
 
UBC stormed out to a 28-10 lead after one quarter and finished the game with a 17-9 fourth frame, led by Maddison Penn's 22-point, 13-rebound double-double. Keylyn Filewich had 17 points and seven boards, while Gabriella Laguerta chipped in 10 points.
 
Brandon forward Lauren Anderson was the top shooter on the Bobcats with 13 points.

Penn, who finished second in Canada West in 2016-17 with an 18.1 points per game average, admits she wants to do more than just score the basketball in her second year with the 'Birds.
 
"Personally, I want to build on my leadership and develop that area," said Penn. "Moving the ball around and just working with the team is something I need to work on. We've got some real key players in Keylyn (Filewich) and Jess (Hanson). So working with them is key for me."
 
The Thunderbirds will hit the road for the remainder of the preseason, playing in the Tindall Tournament at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and the Canada West Basketball Tournament at the University of Calgary.
 
The 'Birds open their Canada West regular season on October 27 against the UFV Cascades at War Memorial Gym.