VANCOUVER - Though by no means a perfect performance, the UBC Thunderbirds men's basketball team (1-0) flashed their considerable upside and claimed a win in their first home game of the 2017-18 pre-season on Friday night, taking down the Bishop's Gaiters (0-5) 99-92 in the opener of the UBC Invitational at War Memorial Gym.
 
Conor Morgan notched 21 points and nine assists to lead the 'Birds offensively, while Taylor Browne netted 15 points to provide secondary scoring. Abdul Kamane matched Morgan for the Gaiters, knocking down 21 for the visitors.
 
The win over the Gaiters gave UBC head coach Kevin Hanson a better understanding of his roster's makeup and where they need to improve ahead of the regular season.
 
"We have a mix of older guys with a ton of talent, and younger guys with a lot of skill," said the coach. "It's a matter of consistency, and making sure that they're ready to play together and are able to mesh going forward."


 
The 'Birds started off with an excellent opening frame on the defensive side of the ball, holding the Gaiters to just 3-of-15 shooting and outrebounding them 16-8. Though a bit sluggish offensively in the opening minutes, UBC found their footing offensively in the latter stages of the first quarter, with a two-handed slam and a deft finger roll layup from lauded freshman Grant Shephard serving as highlights.
 
Roger Milne led the way for UBC with 8 points on 4-of-5 shooting, while Phil Jalalpoor had 7 points for the hosts, who held a 24-11 lead after the opening 10 minutes. Mason Bourcier, who finished with four points and five assists in the contest, looked comfortable controlling the play early on as a rookie point guard.
 
"Sign of some good things," said Hanson. "Mason Bourcier is obviously going to be a real good player, and Grant Shephard showed signs of what he's going to be like. You want to try and give those guys time, but you have to take care of business."


 
Offensively, Morgan emphatically set the tone for the second quarter by notching his first points of the contest on an alley-oop in the opening minute, finishing off a nice feed from Jalalpoor. A First-Team All-Canadian last season, Morgan totalled 11 points in the second frame alone, off his full arsenal with a couple if three-ball, the dunk, and a couple of crafty moves in the post.
 
Though Bishop's offense picked up in the second behind Kamane's 11 points, UBC's Morgan-led attack managed to extend the 'Birds lead to 55-36 as they went into halftime.
 
In the third, the Gaiters were opportunistic as the 'Birds turned the ball over four times, turning into six Gaiter points. Bishop's outscored UBC 24-22 in the quarter, hitting 60% of their shots from the field (9-of-15), as Yasin Naji picked up 7. On the 'Birds side, Browne's shooting stemmed the tide, as the junior knocked down a couple of key triples while totalling eight points.
 
A quick 7-0 run coming out of the break, five points of which came from Kamane, cut UBC's lead down to just 10 early in the fourth quarter.
 
Despite the defensive miscues, a 9-2 run from the hosts, including a sweet triple from Saskatchewan import Jauquin Bennett-Boire and a quick spin-and-score move in the paint from Morgan, essentially put the comeback out of reach with just under six minutes remaining.


 
Bourcier also showed off late, looking off his defender before finding Luka Zaharijevic down the line. A burst from the Gaiters put them within single digits late, but seven was as close as they would come, as the 'Birds pulled out the 99-92 decision.
 
"Some special things for the young guys, but the veterans need to step up and be better," assessed Hanson. "We were solid defensively in the first quarter in, allowing 11 points, but we just spent 10 minutes talking about the second half. Giving up 56, we can't be doing that. Obviously, there are things we need to work on – having leadership on the floor, and showing the younger guys how to play the game the right way."
 
The 'Birds will next take on the Waterloo Warriors tomorrow night, with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m. (PT) at War Memorial Gym.