EDMONTON – The UBC Thunderbirds (5-4) opened up a 17-point lead in the first quarter and held off the MacEwan Griffins (0-7) from there to pick up a win a big 84-67 road win and snap a three- game losing streak on Friday night at David Atkinson Gym.
The Griffins didn't go down quietly, fighting back and cutting UBC's lead to seven at the half, eventually getting it down to as little as four, but the T-Birds were simply just too strong and pulled away late in the game to bring their margin of victory back up to 17.
"We just need to continue to build and move forward. They're a good team, they're building towards a national championship, and they're a Top 10 team (in the country), and I was happy how we showed. We just must fix a few things," said Griffins head coach Mike Connolly.
Brian Wallack led UBC with 24 points and 10 rebounds in the victory, one of four T-Birds to score in double figures. First year
Adam Olsen also had an impressive night for the blue and gold, tallying 17 points on three three-pointers, along with nine rebounds and five assists.
UBC came flying out on the opening tip, jumping out to an early 12-4 lead and continued to push, extending their lead to 24-7 and finished the quarter leading MacEwan 30-13.
But the Griffins went to work in the second quarter, led by Joel Seke who scored 16 of his 18 points in the second quarter, giving the Griffins a much-needed spark.
The Griffins came out in the second half and continued to try and close the gap. They cut UBC's lead to 59-55 off a jumper from Damilola Osuma, who scored nine points for MacEwan. The momentum swung back the other way soon after however, after the Griffins fouled
Brendan Sullivan beyond the arc, and Sullivan nailed all three free throws, giving UBC a seven-point lead once again.
Two corner threes from
Fareed Shittu late in the third quarter and early in the fourth made it 70-56, and the Griffins, just couldn't recover.
UBC will wrap up their first half of conference play Saturday when they finish their weekend series against MacEwan at 4:00 p.m. (PT) at David Atkinson Gym. Watch the game live or on demand on
Canada West TV.
