Tyler Crayston, Brandon University Athletics

BRANDON, Man. – The No. 4 nationally ranked UBC Thunderbirds knocked off the Bobcats 98-81 in Canada West men's basketball action on Friday afternoon.

BU's energy in the first quarter was evident as they jumped out to a 9-4 advantage and built a 15-6 lead. UBC chipped away and the Bobcats were up 18-16 at the end of the first.

The Thunderbirds' offence got rolling in the second with an 18-6 surge that set the stage for a 50-39 cushion at the break.

The Bobcats' rallied from an 11-point first-half deficit thanks to back-to-back momentum building three-pointers by veteran Josh Bell.

Brandon finally drew even with just over a minute to go at 67-67, before the Thunderbirds took full control with a massive 12-0 run that carried over into the fourth quarter.

"There are no excuses, but they are a very tough team," said Brandon coach Gil Cheung. "We are kind of undermanned and we ran out of gas. It was like a boxing match -- it got late in the fight and they wore us down."

UBC had six players hit double figures with Jadon Cohee's game-high 24 points leading the way for the Thunderbirds.

Grant Shephard and Patrick Simon each posted double-doubles. Shephard had 14 points and 15 boards, while Simon scored 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Grant Audu was big for UBC off the bench with a double-double of his own. Audu added 15 points and 10 boards as the T-Birds boosted their record to 14-and-1.

"The biggest key to getting the job done was to make sure that we hit back," said Audu. "They came out and had a couple of good runs, but we stuck with it and fought back."

BU's top scorer was Tyvon Cooper with 22 points, while Troy Grant got 19 points for the Bobcats, who slipped to 2-and-13.

The Bobcats and Thunderbirds meet in Saturday's rematch at the Healthy Living Centre.

(Photo Courtesy: Grant Hamilton)