WINNIPEG - Shawn Maranan had 17 points and 12 assists to lead the No. 8-ranked Winnipeg Wesmen men's basketball team to an 84-78 upset victory over the No. 3 UBC Thunderbirds, snapping the visitors' three-game win streak to start the Canada West season.
The win also snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Thunderbirds and improved Winnipeg's record to 3-1 heading into next weekend's road trip to Lethbridge.
Alberto Gordo also scored 17 points for the Wesmen, who opened a 24-18 lead after the first quarter and extended that lead to 10 with under three minutes to go in the third. The T-Birds, however, closed the half on an 8-2 run that trimmed Winnipeg's lead to 45-41.
The Wesmen outscored UBC 18-11 in the third quarter and started the fourth with a 63-55 advantage. The Thunderbirds would chip away and pull even at 72 on a
James Woods layup with 3:17 remaining, but Maranan and Malachi Alexander both hit threes on back-to-back possessions to give the Wesmen a bit of breathing room at 78-74.
The teams went nearly two full minutes without a score until a
Brian Wallack free throw with 31 seconds to play, but the Wesmen were able to close it out with free throws from there.
Mikhail Mikhailov had 12 points for the Wesmen, who shot just 37.7 per cent from the field and were 9 of 29 from three, while the T-Birds struggled from beyond the arc hitting on just five of their 23 attempts, good for 21.7 per cent.
Wallack led all scorers with 23 points and 11 rebounds, and Woods added 21.
Micah Jessie finished with 10.
Winnipeg won the rebounding battle 42-41 including 16-11 on the offensive glass.
The T-Birds are back on the road next weekend as they pay a visit to the University of Saskatchewan Huskies for a pair of meetings beginning Friday night November, 17th with tip off set for 6:00 p.m. PT.
