VICTORIA – While they may have already had the top seed in the Pacific Division wrapped up heading into their regular season finale, the Thunderbirds (16-4) didn't let their foot off the gas as they blew out the Vikes (9-11) 79-51 in Victoria.
The T-Birds were on fire from beyond the arc for much of the night, shooting 8-16 through the first three quarters. While they cooled off in the fourth, the damage had already been done as they enjoyed a comfortable victory.
Jaeli Ibbetson scored a season-high 23 points on 9-12 shooting off the bench for UBC.
Olivia Weekes dropped 20 and
Stella LaGrange notched 11 points and three steals.
Cerys Merton, meanwhile, dished out a game-high six assists while also grabbing a career-best nine steals, in the process passing current UVic head coach and Thunderbirds alumna Carrie Watts to move into second all-time in UBC program history for career Canada West steals (218).
Avery Geddes had 16 points and three assists for the home side, while Abigail Becker also scored 10, but it wasn't enough for the Vikes as they dropped into the fifth and final playoff spot in the Pacific.
It was Weekes who dominated the opening half of play, scoring nearly as many points (18) as the Vikes did (23). Five different players connected from beyond the arc, as the T-Birds ended the opening quarter on a 16-4 run, immediately followed by a 14-4 run to begin the second.
Ironically, despite being outscored 26-12 in the second quarter, the Vikes actually shot a higher percentage on their field goal attempts (67%) than the T-Birds did (55%). But UBC did a great job of limiting UVic's offensive opportunities, forcing them into six turnovers and only giving up one offensive rebound.
Ibbetson then took over in the third, scoring 11 points on 5-5 shooting including a layup inside right before the buzzer sounded to end the quarter. That concluded a run of nine straight points scored by the fifth-year forward.
While the Vikes managed to outscore the T-Birds by four points in the final frame, it was too late for there to be a comeback. Improving to a record of 16-4, the Thunderbirds clinched the Pacific Division crown and with it, the top overall seed in the Canada West playoffs.
The two B.C. rivals do have a chance to face off for the fourth time this season in the playoffs, as the Vikes will head to Vancouver for the play-in round. There, they will face the Alberta Pandas (15-5) next Saturday, with the winner playing the Thunderbirds the next day on Sunday, February 15th, inside War Memorial Gym.
