KELOWNA — The UBCO Heat (6-5) edged the visiting UBC Thunderbirds (5-4) 68-67 at the UBCO Gymnasium, overcoming an early 16-point deficit in the first quarter and completing the comeback to open the weekend series.

The Heat clinched the win with a strong second quarter, outscoring the Thunderbirds by seven points and capitalizing on 21 converted free throws.

Kanani Coon led the Heat with 15 points, including a 3-pointer, and added three steals. Tsuki Tsuzuki scored 12 points, hitting all four of her free throw attempts. Lily Pink contributed 11 points, pulled down five rebounds, and recorded five steals while Aiko Williams chipped in nine points, including one from beyond the arc, and collected five rebounds.

Leading the way for the visitors was Olivia Weekes with a double-double that included a game highs in points with16 and rebounds with 12. In her return to UBCO, former Heat star Jaeli Ibbetson added 13 points, shooting 5-for-11 from the field and adding two steals. Also hitting double-digits for the T-Birds was Brooke Wagner, who poured in 12 points while Cassi Joli-Coeur chipped in with 10 points and four rebounds.

UBCO struggled to contain the Thunderbirds' offence in the first quarter as UBC surged to an early lead thanks to eight points from Ibbetson. Despite a late layup and free throw from Coon, the Heat trailed 27–14 at the end of the opening frame.



The Heat narrowed the gap in the second stanza with a strong performance in the paint, scoring 10 points. Tsuzuki led a pivotal stretch with back-to-back layups and added two free throws, chipping away at UBC's lead. Despite UBC's early 16-point advantage, UBCO capitalized on turnovers and free throws to reduce the deficit. The quarter ended with the Heat outscoring UBC 23–16, narrowing the 'Birds lead to 43-37 at halftime. 

UBCO surged in the third quarter, sparked by Williams' early three-pointer, narrowing the deficit. Coon further energized the home team with a crucial three-pointer midway through the quarter to push the Heat ahead. Ava Heppner extended the lead by converting two free throws shortly thereafter, establishing a four-point advantage. UBC would battle back to even the score at 55 heading to the final frame.

The Heat capitalized on a strong start to the fourth quarter with Coon's three-point play, to take a 58-55 lead. Sydney Lewis followed with a jumper, pushing UBCO to their largest advantage of the night, a seven point cushion.

However, the Thunderbirds would battle back to retake the lead thanks to a jumper by Cassie Joli-Coeur that made it 65-64 for the visitors with four minutes left. UBCO would then claw back themselves with a key bucket from Coon, plus crucial free throws from Kiana Kaczur's with under a minute to play to restore the advantage for UBCO and ultimately secure the victory.

The rematch goes Saturday, Nov. 29 at 6:30 p.m. with the meeting marking the final game of 2025 for both the Heat and T-Birds ahead of the extended holiday break. Fans can catch the action by purchasing their tickets at GoHeat.ca/Tickets.