VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds defeated the number four nationally ranked Calgary Dinos in a hard-fought match, 66-59, on a Friday evening at War Memorial Gym, extending their winning streak to 13 games.
Emily Martindale,
Sara Toneguzzi, and
Mona Berlitz led the charge for the home team.
Berlitz finished the game with 18 points, nine rebounds, and three steals, while Martindale helped with 17 points and six rebounds, shooting 75 percent from beyond the arc. Toneguzzi contributed 14 points, making two of five from downtown.
Myriam Kone led the Dinos with 17 points, shooting 50 percent from the three while adding nine rebounds. Louise Rouse poured in 14 points and collected eight rebounds.
Thanks to the defensive execution by the 'Birds, they held the Dinos to a total of 59 points in the game; a team that averages 83.9 points per game in Canada West, leading all teams in the conference.
"Slow their transition game," said head coach Isabel Ormond, reflecting on the game plan. "They score a lot, but they also shoot a lot, so for us it was to limit their chances to put the ball through the hoop."
The Dinos took an early 4-0 lead with two quick buckets by Rouse, but that was the last time they led all game, as Martindale responded with a triple and a pair of free throws. With that, the Birds were able to get a swing going their way.
Toneguzzi hit a triple to add to the momentum, as the T-Birds remained hot. Martindale stayed on course, continuing to attack. Emily used her dribble to attack down the middle, finishing back-to-back jumpers inside the 20-foot mark. She led the team with nine at the end of the first quarter, helping the team to an 18-15 lead.
A slower start to the second saw the Thunderbirds control the pace of the game and the lead. At the midway mark, the T-Birds led 25-20. After Berlitz found Bergman on the backdoor cut for two, the Dinos found the bottom of the net from three, making it a one-point game, 27-26 for the T-birds.
At the half, Thunderbirds' defense held the Dinos to 3/18 from three; Dinos are number one in Canada West in three-point percentage, shooting 32.5 percent from beyond the arc, which saw them trail 35-29.
The start of the second half mirrored the second quarter. Both teams traded empty possessions, as the defense took its course. The Thunderbirds took care of business on the inside and around the arc, but eventually, Kone and Gajic found the bottom of the net from beyond the arc, but the Birds still led 43-40.
With less than a minute left, Toneguzzi finished a strong drive at the rim, which the Dinos responded to with a bucket from Rouse. It was a three-point game at the end of the third, 47-44.
The defensive pressure started to get to the Dinos. The Birds forced a shot clock violation, a five-second violation, a turnover, and another shot clock violation, handing the Dinos four empty possessions in a row while adding more to the board. Toneguzzi and Weekes both ran the floor to fill the open lanes and scored back-to-back layups, making it 55-46, while Martindale converted two free throws to push the lead a little more. Her presence on the floor was felt throughout the entire match.
"She [Martindale] just brings a lot of compete," added Ormond. "She shows younger players and even older players how to compete possession after possession, it doesn't matter if there is a mistake made or a point scored, a missed layup, you just got to come back the next possession harder."
With the clock slowly ticking down, Kone answered the call. With two minutes left in the game, she was able to knock down a triple to put the Dinos within two possessions, but Berlitz again found herself at the free-throw line and made it a seven-point game once again.
Martindale continued to shoot the lights out, knocking down another triple and putting the game away, as the crowd erupted.
Both teams will square off again on Saturday, February 10th, at the War Memorial Gymnasium. The tip-off is set for 4 p.m. PST.
