The UBC Thunderbirds (5-0) had their defence on full display during Friday night's matchup against the University of Victoria Vikes (3-2), earning a commanding 93-54 win to open the first of a two-game series at War Memorial Gymnasium.
 
Both teams exchanged blows to open the game until the T-Birds went on a 10-2 run, eventually ending the quarter with a 13-point lead. The Vikes managed to get a handful of second-chance opportunities from timely-offensive rebounds, something Thunderbird head coach Isabel Ormond wanted to change going into the second quarter.

"We know this is an excellent rebounding team, that was one of our focuses even before the game, and we did come down specifically on the O-boards. We were losing that battle," said Ormond. "That's something we take a lot of pride in for ourselves, and knowing the opponent, it's kind of just re-emphasizing and challenging our team to step up, because that was keeping [the Vikes] in the game."


 
Ormond's message was clearly heard. The T-Birds came out scorching hot on both the offensive and defensive end to start the second quarter. Her team opened the frame by scoring 15 straight points while holding the visitors pointless for the first six and a half minutes.
 
The Vikes did garner some momentum to close out the quarter, but second-year UBC forward Mona Berlitz shut that down by scoring six straight points for her team, as the T-Birds led 53-24 at halftime.


 
Berlitz and first-year guard Keira Daly led the T-Birds in scoring at the break, with 12 points each. To start the third, Daly picked up right where she left off by finding the hoop with a lay-up, followed by a three moments later. She ended the night with a full stat sheet, tallying 19 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks while connecting on 50 per cent of her shots from the floor.
 
"She just plays hard and composed", Ormond said about Daly. "She came in with a really strong base and has adapted to the compete level."
 

?? WBB | Hear from Keira Daly after she stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals in a blowout win over UVic #GoBirdsGo pic.twitter.com/9hy183WWiQ

— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) November 16, 2024

UBC maintained the pressure throughout the second half, ballooning their lead to as much as 48, before closing out with the 93-54 victory. The T-Birds converted nearly 52 per cent of their field goals, while the Vikes were limited to 27 per cent on the game.
 
This decisive win for the T-Birds marks the team's fifth-straight Canada West game where they held their opponents to under 60 points. As well, their 93 points scored was a season-high for the blue and gold in conference play.
 
The two sides will return to War Memorial Gymnasium for the second and final game of the series on Saturday, with tipoff set for 4:00 p.m. (PT).