KELOWNA, B.C. – The Thunderbirds (3-0) jumped out in front immediately and never looked back, earning a dominant victory on the road over the UBC Okanagan Heat (1-2).
Five T-Birds scored in double figures, led by Roko Maric's massive 22-point, 12-rebound double-double, with four blocks for good measure. Edouard Gauthier (22 points, eight boards and five assists) and Immanuel Oludele (15 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals) both stuffed the stat sheet as well, while Frank Linder and Jacob Antchak each scoring 13 each.
The 'Birds crushed the Heat on the inside, scoring 62 points in the paint and out-rebounding their opponents 51-25. In all, the Thunderbirds either scored or got the offensive rebound on 77% of their shot attempts, led by Maric and Linder who combined to shoot 16-25 from the field while grabbing 12 offensive boards.
Tarun Saroya had 13 points and four steals for the Heat, but fouled out after 21 minutes of action. Anthony Brady was their lone other double-digit scorer with 12 points.
The second quarter was where the T-Birds established firm control over proceedings, outscoring the Heat 27-8 while forcing them into 12 turnovers. That helped balloon what had been a 27-17 lead at the end of the first quarter into a 52-25 advantage at the half.
UBC's offensive exploits were made even more impressive by the fact that they shot just 3-10 from beyond the arc in the first half, more than making up for it by shooting 21-34 from inside of it. Maric also recorded his double-double before halftime, entering the break with 15 points and 10 boards.
While the Heat had their highest-scoring quarter in the third, the T-Birds still led the way in the frame at 24-20, with six different players finding the bottom of the net. They were able to cruise to the win from there, their third straight to begin conference play.
Next up for the 'Birds are a pair of home games, first against UNBC on Friday, November 13, and then Thompson Rivers on Saturday, November 14, inside War Memorial Gym.
