VANCOUVER - In a clash of two nationally-ranked squads at War Memorial Gym, it was the host UBC Thunderbirds ranked no.4 who were edged 85-82 by the no.5 seed Calgary Dinos. It was a tight battle throughout, with neither team leading by more than seven points in the entire second half.
James Woods led the T-Birds in scoring with 20 points along with four rebounds and three assists.
Brian Wallack double-doubled with 18 points and 10 boards while
Tobi Akinkunmi added 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
Noah Wharton drained a career-high seven triples en route to scoring 27 points for the Dinos. His backcourt partner Nate Petrone put up 20 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Woods and Wallack got UBC off to a great start in the first quarter, combining to score 18 of UBC's 24 points in the frame. A Wallack three-pointer made it 16-6 for the hosts four minutes in, and that would prove to be the largest lead either team would have all night.
Calgary slowly started to crawl their way back into things but a jumper and a pair of free throws from Woods helped keep UBC in front. The Thunderbirds held a 24-21 lead at the end of the quarter.
The Dinos opened the second with a 9-2 run to take the lead, but the T-Birds fought back with buckets from
Arnaud Konan and Wallack to make it a one-possession game.
Adam Olsen provided a great spark off the bench with seven points in the final two minutes of the half, but Wharton drilled a buzzer-beating three-pointer to put Calgary up 51-50 at the break.
The third quarter was a defensive slugfest, with the two teams combining to make just a single field goal in the first four and a half minutes of the frame.
A three-pointer from Akinkunmi finally got UBC going offensively, and another triple a minute later from
Fareed Shittu cut the Dinos' lead to just three. Calgary was able to respond though, hitting three triples of their own in the third to match the T-Birds in that category. They ended the quarter up 68-62.
Another hit from deep by Wharton put the Dinos up 71-64, their largest lead of the night, but an and-one by Wallack followed by a layup from Woods got UBC right back in it. The two teams traded buckets for a lot of the fourth, with Calgary unable to pull away and the Thunderbirds unable to get over the hump to take the lead.
Back-to-back buckets from Woods down the stretch made it 83-82 for the Dinos with less than 30 seconds to play. After Petrone sunk a pair of free throws Woods had a shot to tie the game on the final possession, but the Dinos contested his shot well and he could only draw back iron.
The loss drops UBC to 13-6, in a three-way tie for 4
th in an incredibly competitive Canada West conference. They will have a chance to exact revenge on the Dinos tomorrow night in a rematch. Opening tip is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. (PT) at War Memorial Gym.
