VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds (16-2) closed out their regular season with a decisive 95-58 victory over the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack (4-14) on a rare Wednesday night matchup inside War Memorial Gym.
UBC allowed just 18 points in the paint and shot 50% from the floor, as the 'Birds led from start to finish and continue to ramp up with the Canada West playoffs on the horizon.
James Woods had a team-high 21 points and went 5-for-7 from three,
Jack Cruz-Dumont had nine points and nine assists, while first-year forward
Nikola Guzina put up a career-high 14 points with three boards and a block in 11 minutes of action.
"There was a lot of energy out there tonight," said UBC head coach
Kevin Hanson, as the T-Birds finished their regular season schedule on a high. "When we start well offensively, the guys have energy defensively. We're trying to change that mindset so we can be more established on the defensive end. We're seeing signs of growth – slowly but surely. Rebounding will be a big factor for us heading into the playoffs, and we have a lot to work on, but overall I'm happy we got a chance to play and everyone contributed."
Daniel Bost, Brendan Sullivan, and Gavin Reis each had 11 points for TRU, while Asher Mayan added eight points with four rebounds and two steals in the loss.
Woods made two free throws for a 9-4 edge in the first before draining his first three at 14-4 UBC. Bost got the WolfPack back on the board with a triple at 20-7, but the T-Birds locked down on defence and led 26-11 heading into the second.
Sullivan knocked down a three early in the second quarter to cut TRU's deficit to 12, but Woods' third three of the game extended UBC's cushion to 33-17. Cruz-Dumont found
Triston Matthews in the paint for an easy bucket and a 44-25 advantage, before Richard Mageto got up for a transition dunk at 44-28 'Birds. Cruz-Dumont dished to Woods for a late three and UBC held a 47-29 lead at halftime.
Kyle Foreman scored from beyond the arc to make it 59-34 T-Birds midway through the third quarter, a Matthews three put UBC up 66-38, and the 'Birds allowed just nine points in the quarter as they took a 70-38 lead into the final frame. Guzina went to work in the paint and lifted UBC to a 76-44 lead as the home team cruised to the 95-58 victory.
The T-Birds are now first in the west division, as the Canada West playoffs get underway with all 17 teams entering a tournament format from March 4
th-6
th – with the Final Four slated for March 18
th-20
th.
"Right now, you don't know who you're playing, or when you're playing," added Hanson as the 'Birds continue preparing for the new-look post season. "But everyone is in the same boat heading into the playoffs. It's a new season."
Game highlights
