By Larry Read
TRU Sports Information Officer
KAMLOOPS, BC---The final weekend before Christmas didn't start the way the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack women's basketball team would have liked. The WolfPack were beaten 86-61 by the University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves in Canada West play on Friday (Dec 1).
The game was played on the Warner Rentals Court at the Tournament Capital Centre.
SYNOPSIS
The Timberwolves jumped out to a 30-19 advantage after the opening quarter and never really looked back. TRU did cut the margin in the second quarter by outscoring UNBC 16-12.
Vasiliki Louka had 31 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Timberwolves. Maria Mongomo added 15 rebounds and 13 points.
TRU's main offensive weapon was Leilani Carney who had 13 points. Michelle Bos chipped in with 11.
UNBC out rebounded Thompson Rivers 50-46.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:
KEY STATS:
Scores by Quarter:
UNBC 30 12 23 21 --86
TRU 19 16 18 8 --61
Thompson Rivers :
Michelle Bos (4th year, guard, Surrey, BC):11 points, 8 rebounds (5 def), 2 assists, 1 block: 27 mins
Emily Vilac (4th year, forward, Kamloops, BC): 8 points, 6 rebounds (5 def), 2 blocks, 2 assists: 24 mins
Shenise Sigsworth (5th year, forward, Kamloops, BC):5 points, 10 rebounds (7 off),3 assists: 28 mins
Leilani Carney (3rd year, guard, Burnaby, BC): 13 points, 5 rebounds (3 def): 26 mins
UNBC:
Maria Mongomo (3rd year, forward, Las Palmas, Spain):13 points, 15 rebounds (11 def), 2 assists,5 steals: 35 mins
Vasiliki Louka (4th year, post, Athens, Greece): 31 points, 14 rebounds (9 def)2 assists,1 block, 2 steals: 37 mins
Madison Landry (2nd year, forward, Prince George, BC): 14 points, 2 defensive rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal: 34 mins
Turnovers:
UNBC: 14 TRU: 21
RECORD:
TRU: 6-5 UNBC: 4-7
QUOTES:
TRU Assistant Coach Chuck Ferguson::
On the Contest: "Certainly not the outcome we were hoping for. I thought we played an OK game for three quarters. In the fourth we were 2 for 21 (9.5 %), we let it slip away in the end."
On being dominated on the boards: " They present some matchup difficulties for us in terms of their size versus their size. I think that we are the quicker team. When we push the ball we were successful. When we let them set the pace, which made them more successful. Certainly the glass was an issue tonight. We needed to keep them off it a little more. They did an excellent job of getting rebounds.
What's the game plan for Saturday? We would like to push the tempo tomorrow. That is a strength for our team. Turnovers—we need to take care of the ball and reduce the turnovers. They had their way in the middle. They were able to get middle penetration pretty much at will. We need to stop that and be better on the defensive end of the floor."
Video of post game interview: click here
UNBC Assistant Coach Mark Johnson:
On the difference in the game: "We came out with a game plan. Last weekend we didn't shoot very well percentage wise. We wanted to focus on getting shots and ones that were high percentage. That worked
Controlling the boards and the speed: " We were dominant. We have been a bad rebounding team. That was something we really addressed going into this weekend. It was something we could change on. They buckled down and got some rebounds out there. The speed was quick. Tempo changes depending on what team you're playing against: it is always good to be up-tempo as much as you can and look for fast breaks when you can get them. That is something we tried to implement as well. I think it worked. I didn't think we rush stuff when we got out transitioned."
Video of post game interview: click here
UP NEXT:
The WolfPack and Timberwolves will meet each other again tomorrow night (Sat Dec 2) on the Warner Rentals court at the Tournament Capital Centre. It's the final game before Christmas for both teams. Tip off is 5 pm. The game will be webcast on a pay-per-view basis on Canada West TV starting at 4:50 pm.
OF NOTE:
The "TRU Bookstore/McDonalds Leader of the Pack" Player of the game was Shenise Sigsworth. Again tomorrow night, the WolfPack will be holding a 'food, socks and shoes ' drive. You bring in a nonperishable food item, new socks or gently used shoes and you get into the game for free. All donations will be given to the Kamloops Food Bank and other charities to help the less fortunate.