VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds (10-2) will look to defend their perfect record on home court this weekend when they host the Manitoba Bisons (3-9) for a back-to-back series at War Memorial Gym. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. (PT) on Friday and 4:00 p.m. (PT) on Saturday.
The T-Birds are coming off of a pair of thrilling, home wins over Trinity Western last weekend, handing the Spartans their first two losses of the season in the process. The victories vaulted the 'Birds over their Langley rivals and into third in Canada West, with the team now riding a six-game winning streak.
"I think our ability to have so many different people score is what impressed me most from the weekend," reflected UBC head coach Isabel Ormond. "We saw Mona (Berlitz) score on the Friday night, we saw Emily (Martindale) score on the Saturday night, plus a sprinkling of points from everybody. In fact, everyone who played on Saturday scored that night. It's great that when you have an opponent clearly focusing in on one of our keys players in 'Liv (
Olivia Weekes) that everyone else is able to step up and take some of the load."
Weekes' ascension into stardom has undoubtedly opened up opportunities for her teammates, leading to widespread growth throughout the roster. Second year forward Berlitz continues to flash new aspects of her game on a weekly basis, setting a season-high in scoring on Friday with 21 points, then chipping in with a season-high four steals and 13 points on Saturday, all while shooting over 50% from the field in each game.
"Mona knows how to score, she's really strong," praised Ormond. "She has the ability to shoot and drive down the lane, so she makes for a tough matchup. She also does a good job cleaning up baskets, so if you're doubling (Weekes) we have another great option."
Veteran and leader Martindale provided some essential perimeter scoring in Saturday's narrow victory, draining three of her five attempts from beyond the arc. The sharpshooter has been heating up of late, hitting 46% of her threes over the team's last eight games, raising her season average from distance to a sterling 40%.
"Emily struggled with some injury in the first term but looked great on the weekend," raved Ormond. "Defensively she was huge for us, stepping up to guard big players on the other team. It's great to see her shot fall, hitting three threes in a row on Saturday was massive for our momentum. We love to see it. She played smart with the ball, looked for opportunities for herself and looked to create. I'm proud of her."
This weekend's opponent, Manitoba, snapped a long losing streak with a dramatic win over the Regina Cougars this past Saturday. The Bisons bounced back from a loss by nearly 50 on Friday to upset rival Regina 74-67 and end their nine-game skid. The 'Birds and Bisons have not matched up in Canada West play since Manitoba eliminated UBC in the first round of the 2021-22 conference playoff tournament.
"Manitoba plays really hard," concluded Ormond. "They never stop competing and making adjustments. We know it's going to be 40 minutes both nights of being diligent about the gameplan, taking care of the ball, and being sharp on our details. It should be some fun, competitive basketball!"
Tickets for this weekend's game are still available
here. Stream all UBC Thunderbirds basketball regular season action on
Canada West TV.
