VANCOUVER – The fans at War Memorial Gym were treated to a back-and-forth battle with no love lost in the sister school sibling rivalry between the UBC Thunderbirds and UBC Okanagan Heat. Despite a valiant effort from the Heat – who only dressed nine players due to injury woes – it was the 'Birds who pulled out the win, taking it 85-80.

Tobi Akinkunmi nearly double-doubled with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Nikola Guzina put up 10 points, six boards and four assists. Adam Olsen led the team in scoring once again, pouring in 23 points for his third consecutive 20+ point outing.

"Adam is a hugely integral part of our team," said Thunderbirds head coach Kevin Hanson. "He's shooting the ball really well, he's scoring some inside now…as a second-year guy he's really developing into an outstanding basketball player."



Leon Schenker was a force for the Heat, doubling his previous season-high with 24 points. Jalen Shirley recorded 18 points, six boards and seven steals while Lamine Conde had 17 points and eight rebounds.

The visitors started off the game with back-to-back triples from Schenker and Isaak Moore, but the 'Birds immediately hit back with an 8-0 run that grew into a larger lead. A midrange jumper from Olsen made it 22-14, followed a couple plays later by a sweet chase-down block from Jerry Hayes.

The first quarter ended 26-17 in favour of the blue and gold, but the Heat came out strong defensively to begin the second. They got the lead down to six points before a big three from Olsen broke the T-Birds out of their offensive funk.

The Surrey native then cut backdoor for a big dunk, energizing the crowd. He scored 10 of his team's 15 points in the frame, with an and-one bucket inside temporarily making it a ten-point advantage.



UBC Okanagan, however, made a strong push to end the second. Shirley hit an impressive stepback three while being fouled, and Schenker stole the ball on the final play of the half before laying it in on a breakaway layup as the clock expired. That gave him 20 points at the break, and put the score at a slim 41-40 lead for the T-Birds.

The UBC offence came on strong to begin the third, with both Akinkunmi and Gus Goerzen draining triples. Once again though, they couldn't stretch the lead too far out in front, and the Heat briefly took the lead at a couple of points for the first time since the opening minute.

A three-pointer from Victor Radocaj– just his fourth of the season – regained the advantage for UBC at 62-60. Micah Jessie fed Fareed Shittu for a dunk in the waning moments of the quarter, which earned a roar from the crowd as the 'Birds entered the final frame up by three.

The fourth was a grind to begin, with the two teams combining for just four points through the first three minutes of play. Guzina led an 8-0 burst that put the home team up 75-66, before a triple from Akinkunmi pushed the lead to double digits.


 
Once again though, the Heat refused to die, and made another push that made it a three-point game with less than 40 seconds to play. Needing a bucket, the 'Birds fed it to Radocaj in the post, and he put up a lefty hook shot as the shot clock expired. The ball dropped through the hoop, and that was the final points of the night as the T-Birds found the energy they needed to close out the win.

"I think we were just more aggressive," remarked Hanson. "We got a couple of stops when we needed to…I think we rebounded the ball better in those last five minutes which was enough to get us the lead and keep us enough points ahead."

With the victory, the Thunderbirds have clinched second place in the Pacific Division, which gives them home court advantage in the first round of the Canada West playoffs. Before UBC can look ahead to their upcoming quarterfinal matchup, however, they face off again against the Heat at 6:00 p.m. (PT) on Saturday night.