VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds won their Canada West home opener against the Trinity Western Spartans 69-52, on Saturday afternoon at War Memorial Gym.

Rookie Keira Daly helped lead the team to victory with 21 points and four rebounds. Olivia Weekes added 13 points and nine rebounds to the stat sheet.

"It's always exciting to get a win, especially when it's a well-earned game," said Thunderbirds head coach Isabel Ormond.

For the Spartans, Shemaiah Abatayo finished the game with 14 points, four rebounds, two steals and a pair of blocks, while Gracie Carneau added 10 points and five rebounds of her own.



The T-Birds got off to a quick start led by Weekes, who scored consecutive layups in transition. Cerys Merton then made a three-pointer, and Abatayo responded with a triple of her own to make it 8-7.

The Thunderbirds picked up the Spartans full-court, and the visitors responded well to the pressure. Abatayo started to catch fire as she hit another three and got a layup off of strong drive. The back-and-forth continued, and the Thunderbirds came out on top at the end of the first quarter, 18-17.

The Spartans opened the second quarter with a 6-0 run. Abatayo once again broke through the defense to create easy layups in the paint, but Daly responded, firing a three-pointer before attacking the paint to get to the free-throw line for five quick points.

The second quarter was much slower offensively overall, as both teams picked up their defensive intensity. Daly was able to draw a few fouls, but for the most part both teams were disciplined. The T-Birds remained up at the half, 35-30.

After a quiet first half from Mona Berlitz, she started to find her rhythm early in the third quarter, helping the T-Birds to a 9-3 run as she finished easy layups in transition.

Strong defensive pressure led to more transition opportunities for the Birds. A couple of 24-second violations forced by Jade Huynh and Daly, along with a full-court press, forced turnovers from the Spartans. The total team effort led to UBC allowing only nine points in the entire third quarter.



"A lot of it was earning our matchup," added Ormond. "I think we were relying so much on somebody else to step up, guard, and do it, but at the end of the day, you have to be able to guard one-on-one. We had help for their actions, but we have to take ownership on the defensive end."

Up nine at the end of the third quarter, the T-Birds continued to use defense to create offense in the fourth. The pressure pushed the Thunderbirds' lead to 17 points by the end of the game, as Daly continued to step up. After scoring 17 points off the bench on Thursday, she remained in attack mode in the home opener, showcasing her ability to play at a high level.

"It's awesome to see how our team relies on her," said Ormond. "She steps up, she is physical, she takes care of the ball, and she has no problem playing on both ends."

Now 2-0 to begin the season, the Thunderbirds head to Kamloops next weekend to take on Thompson Rivers on Friday, November 8th, and Saturday, November 9th.