VANCOUVER – Fans arrived out of the rainy evening at War Memorial Gym to Christmas carols, courtesy of the UBC Marching Band, on the inaugural "Festive Friday" matchup that saw the No. 3 Regina Cougars down the UBC Thunderbirds 81-54.
 
"When I first walked out here to shoot they were playing Christmas songs," said third-year guard Jessica Hanson. "It's a really cool event...with the big screen too."
 
The T-Birds were without their second highest scorer and rebounder, forward Keylyn Filewich, and with just a single loss on the season, the Cougars played true to their record. Regina shot 43.3 per cent from the field, out-rebounded the 'Birds 50-35 and held a 34-18 advantage in points in the paint.
 
The T-Birds (4-7) were led by Maddison Penn, who finished just one board shy of a double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds. Jessica Hanson put up eight points and Dayna Pearce, playing against sister and Regina guard Avery, grabbed six boards for the Thunderbirds.
 
The Cougars' Kyanna Giles had a team-high 18 points, while Kyia Giles posted 14. Charlotte Kot had nine points and nine rebounds in the victory.
 


Penn netted the first two baskets for the 'Birds, and Ali Norris tied it up at 6-6 on a quick take to the hoop, but the Cougars led 15-12 after the first quarter. Hanson scored the first bucket of the second to close UBC to 15-14 but Regina responded by going on an extended 28-10 to close out the half. The Cougars carried the double-digit lead through to the final whistle. 
 
"We knew coming into this game that it would be arguably our toughest game of the season," said Hanson. "We're extremely young, but our game plan was to come in tough and with energy and I think we really showed that in the first quarter. Fatigue and our youth caught up to us a bit...and we just couldn't keep the ball in front."

The two teams will square off in a 5 p.m., rematch on Saturday evening at War Memorial Gym in the final conference game of 2017 for both squads. 
 
After that, Hanson and the 'Birds have their sights set on some crucial development over the holidays.
 
"At this point I think we're looking at our December break as a really great opportunity to get better at the little things and mature a bit," she said. "We're going to Cuba to play and volunteer, so hopefully that'll be a good team bonding trip and we can get a lot done on and off the court."