VANCOUVER – In their Canada West regular season finale, The UBC Thunderbirds fell to the Calgary Dinos, 83-67, as the Dinos were red hot from beyond the arc on Saturday evening at War Memorial Gym. Both teams will now get a bye into the first day of the Canada West playoffs.
Emily Martindale and
Hailey Counsell made their presence felt on a special night as they closed out their T-Birds' careers and were honored post-game as graduating seniors. Martindale finished the game with nine points, four assists, and three rebounds, while Counsell scored 11 points, shooting three of seven from three-point land.
"They both made a great impact on the program and the people that have come through it in different ways and in so many ways," said head coach Isabel Ormond about her graduating players. "It's great to have been here for a year to cross paths with them on the same team and get to compete, and laugh, and focus with them; it's been really nice because they have been in the league when I've been, so I've been scouting against them for many years."
The Dinos' starting five of Mya Proctor, Myriam Kone, Amelie Collin, Lilia Skumatova, and Louise Rouse all finished in double-digits in scoring. The visitors shot 51.9 percent from beyond the arc on 27 attempts.
Rouse and Collin were off to a hot start, getting a three from the corner and a layup off the pick and roll action.
Olivia Weekes and Counsell were able to respond with back-to-back scores on the inside, but Skumatova's back-to-back threes put the Dinos in the driving seat early with a 13-4 lead.
The Dinos were aggressive. They penetrated the paint, got the defenders off their feet, and found open shooters on the outside; as a team, they were four of eight from distance, leading 24-16 at the end of the first.
An 8-0 run sparked by Martindale gave the 'Birds some hope to start the second, as she knocked a triple followed by a floater from Bergman and a three from Counsell, but the Dinos answered. Kone was able to knock a three down 35 feet away from the basket, as Proctor added a three of her own to the scoring tally.
The Dinos extended their run to 13-5 and regained the lead, 38-29. They did not slow down, as the barrage of threes continued to hurt the 'Birds, Kone and Skumatova remained hot near the end of the second, knocking down shots from downtown.
The Thunderbirds remained resilient, ending the second quarter with a 9-0 run in the final two minutes. The run ignited by an and-one layup from the captain, Martindale, was followed by three consecutive unanswered shots from Weekes, Berlitz, and Weekes again.
The Dinos led 44-38 at the half.
The name of the game was 'runs.' The Dinos came back hot on both ends to start the third. Three consecutive turnovers by the Thunderbirds and missed opportunities ignited the Dinos' 13-2 run. Kone and Proctor knocked down shots from beyond the arc once again.
The Thunderbirds again fought their way back. After giving up six turnovers, the 'Birds found their way back into the game after Counsell hit a big-time triple and followed that with a strip off on the defensive end, setting up Weekes for a layup, as Counsell found the bottom of the net from downtown once again.
That run brought the Thunderbirds within 13, as they trailed 62-49 at the end of the third quarter.
That defensive momentum continued into the final quarter. The 'Birds forced four Dinos' turnovers and were able to close to the single digits. The rookie
Maddy Billings knocked down a much-needed three-pointer to bring the home team within 10, 67-57.
The hill was too steep to climb, as the Dinos were able to put the game away and cut the 'Birds short of a comeback.
Up next, both teams will head to the Canada West playoffs, as the Thunderbirds and the Dinos will travel to the University of Fraser Valley on February 21st in Abbotsford, BC.
