VANCOUVER – The 'Birds stepped on the gas immediately on Saturday night, lighting it up to the tune of a 34-9 opening quarter against the Trinity Western Spartans and taking the win from there.
 
Five T-Birds scored in double figures, led by Edouard Gauthier who scored 16 points off the bench. Nikola Guzina provided 14 points and seven rebounds in just 19 minutes of work, while Gus Goerzen poured in a highly efficient 14 of his own.
 
Tyus DeVries led the way for the Spartans with a season-high 18 points to go with nine boards. Jack Vandenberg had 10 points and three assists.
 
UBC came out guns blazing with a 15-0 run from the opening tip, led by Goerzen who drilled three triples and finished an alley-oop layup for 11 points in the first three minutes of play.
 
Gauthier helped contribute to the massive opening quarter with a quick four points to make it 25-5 – scoring a transition layup only to then immediately pick off the inbound pass and lay it up and in once again.


 
Down 25 points to begin the second, the Spartans didn't wilt and forced the T-Birds into a series of turnovers. Unfortunately for the visitors, they weren't able to get their offence going as quickly as their defence, allowing the Thunderbirds to weather that spell of choppy play.
 
The Spartans' Vanderberg provided perhaps the biggest highlight of the opening half on its final play, as he drilled a contested, fadeaway three-pointer as the halftime buzzer sounded. While Trinity Western had played the 'Birds even on the scoreboard in the second quarter, they remained in a deep hole with 20 minutes to play.
 
The T-Birds did a good job of managing the second half, never letting the Spartans get within striking distance. After some cases earlier this season of getting out to a decent lead but taking the foot off the gas a bit, UBC head coach Phil Jalalpoor was pleased to see how his team performed as a whole tonight.
 
"That's the step, right?" he said. "Runs were a bit too long in the first half of the season – they're going to happen, but can you stop them a little earlier and not have that complete momentum swing? I think we've done a better job of that."


 
The second half scoreline was an even 38 points apiece, as the lead that was 25 points when the first quarter buzzer sounded was the exact same when the final buzzer sounded.
 
Now 10-2 on the season, the Thunderbirds have a big road week coming up with a Thursday night battle against the 2-10 UNBC Timberwolves in Prince George, before heading to Kamloops to take on the 10-4 Thompson Rivers WolfPack on Saturday.
 
"We've got to be professionals," remarked Jalalpoor on what's to come. "That week is very difficult, it's almost like a five-day trip with layovers here, two uncomfortable places to play and two physical teams that really go at you. We've got to grow again, come together as a team and play as hard as we possibly can."
 
The T-Birds will next be at home on January 30 and 31 against UNBC.