KELOWNA, B.C. – The UBC Thunderbirds suffered another nail biter loss, 64-63 to the UBC Okanagan Heat Friday night in Kelowna.
Led by Kelsey Falk's double-double, the Heat (3-2) earned their first Canada West win over the T-Birds (1-4) in 15 games.
Falk, a native of Vernon, B.C., went head-to-head with UBC's
Kate Johnson all game long as the two put on a show for the fans.
After a T-Birds 12-0 run to start the second quarter, Falk went on to score eight of the Heat's next 10 points, pulling the game even. The third-year guard didn't look back from there, putting up 22 points and 12 boards for her fourth double-double in five games this season.
Johnson and
Azalya Forstbauer combined for 30 of UBC's 33 first-half points. Johnson, a native of Kelowna, playing in front of a home crowd, had her best game of the season with a career-high 29 points. She would shoot 9-of-19 from the field and 9-of-11 from the charity stripe in the loss.
UBCO's Surprise Munie chipped in with 15 points and nine rebounds in the winning effort. The Vancouverite hit a clutch three-pointer as time expired on the shot clock, giving the Heat the lead for good with a minute and a half to go.
The two teams will have a quick turnaround as they'll be right back in action at 3 p.m. PT Saturday for the second game of their weekend doubleheader.
