VANCOUVER –
Olivia Weekes led the way with a double-double to help lift the UBC Thunderbirds past the Victoria Vikes 72-52 in the annual Courtside Festival game at War Memorial Gym on Saturday evening. With the win, the T-Birds swept the home-and-home series that began Thursday in Victoria and improved UBC's record to 6-2 on the Canada West season, while the Vikes fell to 0-6.
Weekes finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while
Hailey Counsell added 18 points off the bench with help from shooting four of six from beyond the arc, and
Sara Toneguzzi contributed 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists.
Similar to Thursday night's action, the Vikes were led by Abigail Becker and Mimi Sigue. Becker finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and a block, while Sigue added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Both teams started the game with a defensive mindset, but eventually, the offense broke out as
Hailey Counsell found the bottom of the net from the three and a backdoor cut for a two to give the Birds an early 10-6 lead.
Full-court pressure forced a lot of turnovers once again, and Counsell continued her scoring streak. She converted back-to-back backdoor cuts to four points. Becker answered the call. She scored back-to-back layups and provided Vikes with the spark on the offense.
Becker took advantage of her height and shot down T-Birds' opportunities under the rim.
Counsell used her speed to get to the basket to keep the momentum and get open around the three-point line. She led the team with 12 points at the half, while Weekes added 11 points. At the end of the half, the T-Birds led 35-27.
Becker and Weekes put on a show to start the second half, finishing plays in transition, and Counsell came back to where she left off. Immediately after checking into the third, she was able to knock down a triple from the corner.
"It opens up stuff inside," said Isabel Ormond. "For us, we like to play in the paint, but that only works if you have people that can score from the outside. So it's great to have her legs back and, of course, shooting well today."
Weekes' inside dominance continued as the focal point of the offense. She finished the quarter with 20 points, putting the Birds in the driver's seat with a 57-41 lead. It opened up opportunities from the outside. Collectively, the Thunderbirds shot 47.1 percent from downtown on 17 attempts.
The Vikes were able to get a break and got back-to-back layups from Becker and Sigue, but three consecutive turnovers committed put the momentum to an end, as Toneguzzi hit a triple from the corner.
Next week, the Thunderbirds will go on the road once again to face MacEwan University Griffins in Edmonton, while the Vikes will host TRU Wolfpack at home. Both games will take place on Friday, Dec. 1.
