VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds (8-5) toppled the Regina Cougars (5-8) 83-68 in their long-awaited return to War Memorial Gym at Courtside 2023 – just their fifth home game of the regular season. The T-Birds came out firing early and held the Cougars to nine fourth-quarter points to secure their fourth consecutive Canada West win.
"It honestly felt like we were on the road for months," said UBC head coach
Kevin Hanson after their first game on the Point Grey campus since December 3
rd, 2022. "It was super nice to get back here and try to get into a game routine. On the road you can focus a bit more as a team, but it was nice to play hard, play aggressive, and have a special crowd behind us tonight. I think they got a little tired in the fourth, trying to play pressure basketball, but it was an interesting game because the last few weeks has been about our post play…but they went to a little bit of small ball, so we had to match up. They're a talented team and tomorrow's going to be a tough game again."
Brian Wallack,
Triston Matthews, and
James Woods each put 18 points for the Thunderbirds, with
Sukhman Sandhu recording a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards in the win. Carter Miller led the Cougars with 14 points and four assists, while Jalen Edwards and Brayden Kuski each added 13 points in the loss.
The T-Birds stormed out to a 9-0 start in the first and led 14-1 after a Woods layup before Regina rattled off a 15-6 run – capped off by a pair of Edwards free throws. The 'Birds finished the first up 22-16, but Kuski drained a triple early in the second quarter and the Cougars knotted it up at 22-22 on the next trip down the floor with an Edwards trey. Edwards then elevated to knock down his second three of the frame to erase the early deficit and lift Regina to a 25-22 lead.
Sukhman Sandhu responded for the T-Birds with a big four-point play at 32-30, and
Luka Lizdek found Easaie Maurancy in the paint for an easy two at 36-34. The 'Birds held steady and headed into halftime up 44-43.
Matthews hit a corner three for a 49-46 edge in the third, as the 'Birds came out energized in the second half, but the Cougars kept pace and trailed 55-54 after a Kuski jumper. Sandhu checked back into the game and made an impact with a block, two free throws, a steal and a layup, as UBC carried a 64-59 lead into the fourth. The 'Birds locked down on defence and extended their lead to 71-63 with a Wallack finish in the paint. In the bonus with 3:10 remaining, UBC pushed their lead to 13 on a Matthews trey at 77-64 and Maurancy sent the boisterous student section home with free pizza on the T-Birds' ninth three to close it out, 83-68.
The two teams are right back at it on Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. (PT), as the 'Birds look to improve their playoff positioning on a lengthy homestand down the stretch of the regular season.
"I think there were times we dictated the tempo of the game tonight, and times that they did," said Hanson, as the 'Birds begin looking ahead to the rematch. "We have to do a better job of dictating for longer periods of time – if not the whole game. Video showed us some things, like how they took advantage of some mismatches, and we have to make sure we don't put ourselves in bad defensive positions tomorrow night."
