VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds (4-1) downed the visiting TRU WolfPack (2-2) 68-44 on Saturday afternoon at War Memorial Gym, powered by a dominant 45-point first half. After building a 26-point lead by the halfway mark, the 'Birds had a low-scoring fourth quarter, losing it 13-5, but their dominant lead carried them to a second consecutive win this weekend.
"I thought we had a really good first half," said UBC head coach
Dave Taylor. "I was really happy with that, and then we bogged down a little bit, especially in the fourth quarter. A little bit up and down, but we wanted to have a really good start, so I am happy with that. Playing with the lead is much easier, and we played with the lead for 39 minutes and 49 seconds."
Two players for the 'Birds hit double digits;
Mona Berlitz had 17 points and five rebounds, while
Stella LaGrange had 16 points, going 4-for-4 from behind the arc.
Alfreda Okolie made an impact from the paint, adding seven points and eight rebounds in the well-earned victory.
Olena Vasylenko earned 14 points for the WolfPack and Hailey Merrigan put up six points and six rebounds. Olivia Randall, Morgan Eichenberger, and Paige Leahy each contributed five points, with Eichenberger adding nine rebounds.
The 'Birds jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the first on an aggressive Berlitz drive to the basket, before LaGrange sank a corner three for an 11-point cushion. UBC continued to push, and a LaGrange two-point bucket brought them up by 16 to end the quarter 26-10.
The blue and gold were quick to pad their lead by eight in the second quarter on an
Emilia Banmann finish from the elbow. TRU's Randall responded with a trey to make it 36-15 UBC. The WolfPack were able to hold off the UBC offence for the middle portion of the quarter, but struggled to convert, earning their only four additional points in the frame from the free throw line. Eventually breaking through, Thunderbirds'
Brooke Wagner, Berlitz, and Okolie added baskets to conclude the first half with a 45-19 advantage.
The 'Birds showed no signs of slowing down in the third quarter, continuing to execute at both ends of the court. An Okolie layup made the score 53-19 early in the frame, before Adie Janke drained a three to bring TRU back within 27. The WolfPack tried to hold on, but
Amy Stinson and Berlitz put up points for a 63-31 advantage after three.
TRU held the hosts scoreless, safe for a single made free throw, until the last three minutes of the fourth. Hailey Merrigan opened the quarter with a WolfPack layup, and Vasylenko scored from behind the arc at 64-36. The visitors continued to push, but the lead was too much to overcome, and the 'Birds took the game 68-44.
The Thunderbirds next host the MacEwan Griffins for their first weekend series of the season on November 20 and 21 at War Memorial Gym.
Taylor spoke about the differences and challenges of playing the same team two nights in a row. "It's a little tougher because you have to really adjust after the first night," explained Taylor. "Typically in those types of games, you might win one easier, but then there's going to be one game that's kind of grinded out, and you have to figure out a way to win that one."
Next week, TRU returns home to play the Victoria Vikes on November 19, followed by the Trinity Western Spartans on November 21.
