ABBOTSFORD – The UBC Thunderbirds (2-0) picked up their second straight win to start the new Canada West campaign, surging late to seal a 95-85 win over the UFV Cascades (0-2) on Saturday evening.
Second-year guard
Edouard Gauthier finished just shy of a triple-double for the 'Birds, tallying a game-high 28 points, while adding career highs of 13 rebounds and eight assists.
Also on the docket was a battle of the brothers.
Nylan Roberts posted 18 points and three steals for UBC, while younger brother Taige Roberts collected 19 points and 12 rebounds for the home side.
Immanuel Oludele also made an impact for the blue and gold, as the forward chipped in with 21 points on 50 per cent shooting in 24 minutes off the bench to help secure victory down the stretch.
Both sides traded blows early, taking turns with short runs leading to a whopping seven lead changes throughout the frame. The final scoreboard leap came with just under two minutes remaining as Mercer Thiessen drained a three over a defender on the wing to hand the Cascades a two-point advantage, before turning it into a 24-21 lead by the end of the opening quarter.
However, the 'Birds were eager to respond to start the second. UBC worked up a 10-0 run in the early going, highlighted by second-year guard
Raj Dhadda knocking down his second three-pointer of the game, followed by a steal and a slam from
Nylan Roberts. From there, the 'Birds earned some breathing room, but a barrage of buckets from the Cascades in the final two minutes narrowed the score to just 46-43 for UBC heading into the break.
The 'Birds stretched their narrow lead to five near the seven-minute mark of the third, when Oludele checked back into the game. Gauthier hauled in the rebound on one end of the floor before feeding Oludele on the other to sink three of his seven points in the frame, kickstarting a 12-5 run for the visitors. Despite the double-digit deficit, the Cascades were not deterred as they continued to chip away before ending the quarter trailing 69-63.
The steady momentum carried over for UFV as they whittled the lead down to five once again early in the fourth. However, Oludele continued to stay hot. Highlighted by a step-back three out of a screen midway through the quarter, the forward amassed 10 points throughout the final 10 minutes. Not far behind was Gauthier, who added seven of his own as the pair combined for 17 of UBC's 26 fourth-quarter points to seal the 95-85 win.
The T-Birds now head to Kelowna to take on the UBCO Heat for their next matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for Friday, November 6 at 7:00 p.m. (PT), and you can watch every second on
CanadaWest.tv
