VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds (4-0) started their weekend on the right foot with a dramatic 81-78 win against the UNBC Timberwolves (0-5) in front of a raucous home crowd at War Memorial Gymnasium.
Edouard Gauthier led the charge for UBC, continuing his torrid start to the season, finishing with 26 points and six rebounds on the night. As the game was tied with 10.0 seconds left, the Montreal, Quebec native delivered when the spotlight was at its brightest, hitting a step-back three-pointer in the dying seconds of the game to secure victory.
Injuries to two key players –
Nylan Roberts and
Immanuel Oludele – led to playing time being dispersed differently against UNBC, who pushed the T-Birds to the brink of a possible upset.
"I'm proud of how we played because it's not how we pictured our rotation to be, obviously, with all those injuries and facing some looks we haven't really seen yet," explained head coach
Phil Jalalpoor. "We kind of found solutions and didn't give up. I think these things can only happen if you're connected as a team and trying to deal with it together."
Another player who stepped up in a big way was first-year guard
Blake Pye, who delivered 19 points – including a trio of three-pointers – en route to a breakout performance. Although his minutes were similar to other games so far this season, he made the most of his opportunities on the floor.
Roko Maric also had one of his better games of the season, knocking down 19 points alongside 7 rebounds, taking on a more pivotal role with Roberts out.
UNBC's strong bid for their first win of the season was highlighted by Evgeni Baukin's 26 points, along with Chris Ainsley's double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds). The Timberwolves head to Abbotsford to take on the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades on Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. (PCT).
The Thunderbirds are back to action Saturday evening hosting the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack (2-0). Tip off is set for 6:00 p.m. (PCT), with all UBC games available via stream on
CanadaWestTV.
