VICTORIA – The No. 6 UBC Thunderbirds had five players score in double-digits as they cruised past the Victoria Vikes 89-63 in the basketball opener for the Legends Cup Thursday night in Victoria. The win lifts the T-Birds to 2-1 in the Canada West, while the Vikes fall to 1-2.
The Thunderbirds were led in scoring by fourth-year guard Manroop Clair who came off the bench to provide 25 points and seven rebounds. Six-foot-ten forward Grant Shephard added 17 points, while Mason Bourcier had 13 and Jadon Cohee had 10. Lone fifth-year Patrick Simon had the only double-double for the visitors finishing with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
"You have to be happy with our performance tonight," said UBC bench boss Kevin Hanson, whose team led by as much as 28 through the night. "We hit a few tough shots and shots in transition that were key for us tonight and that really helped us sustain momentum. After last weekend, we made a lot of adjustments on the tactical side of things but I was most impressed with the way we defended the Vikes tonight."
The home side was forced to test their depth with the absence of former Canada West Rookie of the Year Scott Kellum, as well as fifth-year forward Hayden Lejeune. Fifth-year guard Mason Loewen had the team's only double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Jason Scully and Jordan Charles each chipped in with 10 points.
The opening half saw the Thunderbirds pace the Vikes from the start, out-scoring the home side 21-16 and 21-12 in the first and second quarters. Simon led the floor in rebounds, with nine, as the visitors out-rebounded the Vikes 28-23. Both Clair and Cohee finished with 10 first-half points, while the bench put up 12 as the T-Birds led 42-28 at the break.
First-half scoring for the Vikes came from Loewen, who finished with eight, while Scully added six as the Vikes were held to 29 per cent in their shooting percentage.
In the third quarter Taylor Montgomery-Stinson calmly put up his first three of the night to leave the home side trailing the Thunderbirds 51-37. UBC's Cohee continued to keep the T-Birds well ahead as he drained two free throws on the next play. Montgomery-Stinson hit another three mid-way through the third to cut UBC's lead to 13 as the Vikes trailed 55-42. The outside shooting continued as quality ball movement allowed time for Loewen to drop a trey and get the Vikes within 10, down 55-45. UBC's Grant Audu dropped a baseline three after seeing the Vikes go on a short 8-0 run as UBC pushed their lead back up to 65-47 by the end of the third quarter.
The Thunderbirds continued to dominate down the stretch as Clair got the scoring off with a three and continued with back-to-back jump shots to push the visitors up 73-49. A Scully deuce and Loewen three helped the Vikes chip away yet again but Clair added another five points in quick succession. The Thunderbirds out-scored the Vikes 24-16 in the final frame to seal their second win of the season by a final score of 89-63.
"Anything can happen with these back-to-back games so we need to take the day off tomorrow to reflect on the things we did well and the things we need to improve on," added Hanson. "The Vikes are going to be a motivated group when we get back on the court Saturday in Vancouver."?
That rematch and second half of the Legends Cup home-and-home goes at 7:00 p.m. PT Saturday at War Memorial Gym.
