Connor Hood - Golden Bears and Pandas Athletics

EDMONTON - Five University of Alberta Golden Bears hit double-digit point totals, as the Bears cruised to a convincing 98-64 win over the UNBC Timberwolves in Game 1 of their Canada West quarter-final series, Friday afternoon at Saville Community Sports Centre.

Fifth-year forward Mamadou Gueye paced Alberta at both ends of the floor with 23 points and seven rebounds, while Brody Clarke (18 pts), Nolan Woodward (12), Geoff Pippus (10), and Austin Waddoups (10) also chipped in for the Bears. The win was Alberta's ninth all-time vs UNBC, and the first in the post-season. 

Jovan Leamy and Volodymyr Pluzhnikov led UNBC with 16 points each, but couldn't match the Bears level of offence throughout the series-opener. The Bears, who own the conference's No. 4 team offence, shot a stellar 51% from the field, compared to a 38% clip from UNBC. 

Alberta, who finished atop the Canada West standings with a 19-1 conference record, raced out to an early lead on Friday, as eight points from Waddoups gave Alberta a 26-15 lead after one. A scrappy Timberwolves team, who were coming off their first playoff win in program history the weekend before, used a strong second quarter from Pluzhnikov to keep the game within reach in the second. The first-year Timberwolve scored seven on his 16 in the second, keeping the game within 15 at the half (49-34 ALB). 

With the game still within reach, both teams exchanged buckets in a tight third quarter. Alberta outscored UNBC 18-17, holding the visitors to just four makes, while hitting on six jumpers of their own.

The depth and scoring from Alberta, however, was too much for the heavily favoured Timberwolves to overcome, as they fell further and further behind to start the fourth quarter. Both Gueye and Clarke began the fourth with consecutive makes, growing the Golden Bears lead to more than 20 early in the final frame.  The U SPORTS No. 3 Bears continued to flex their offensive depth later in the fourth, rotating in a stable of bench players including Andre Kelly (nine points) and Cole Knudsen (six points), eventually outscoring UNBC 31-18, en route to the 34-point win. 

Game 2 of the best-of-three quarter-final series is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Saville Community Sports Centre on Saturday, as Alberta can punch their ticket to the semifinal with a win.