Grayson B. Leahy, Heat Sports Information
KELOWNA, B.C. – The UBC Okanagan Heat women's basketball team closed out the 2017 portion of this season's schedule with a 68-43 loss to the Manitoba Bisons. Despite a close first quarter, the Bisons took over from then on, and put the game out of reach by the end of the third.
Taylor Randall gave Manitoba their biggest boost of the night, going 10/19 from the field, and getting the Bisons going early on by scoring nearly every point for the team in quarter number one.
The turning point was a long scoring drought by the home team in teh second quarter. Tied at 15 just 40 seconds into the quarter The Heat would only manage one more point in th eframe as the Bisons closed out the second on a 13 point run.
Shooting consistency overall was Manitoba's advantage once again, as their percentages were better from the floor and the charity stripe, despite having nearly identical attempts numbers between the two teams.
First Half:
Through one quarter, the Bisons led the Heat 15-12. Taylor Randall was already in double digits after the first ten minutes of play, having scored 12 of those first quarter 15 Manitoba points. For UBCO it was Shenelle Tamminen and Biranna Falk leading the way, each with four points in the opening frame.
Tamminen tied it up early in the second quarter, making a three with just over 30 seconds played. From then on though the play took a distinct turn, as the Heat would score just one more point before half-time while Manitoba went on a run that extended their lead to 16 points, up 32-16, at the buzzer.
Second Half:
The Bisons were able to extend their lead to 29 by the end of the third quarter, holding the Heat to just 11 points in the frame. Through the first five minutes Manitoba kept the Heat to just four points on a free throw and a three-pointer.
The Heat oustcored the Bisons in the fourth, but 16-12 in the frame wasn't enough, and at the final buzzer the Heat were still behind by 25, 68-43.
Key Performers:
UBC Okanagan:
Shenelle Tamminen continued as the Heat's leading scorer, putting up 15 points on Saturday night. Emma Jonas added six points, and Brianna Falk and Lindsey Bott added five apiece.
Jordan Korol finished in double-digits in rebounds once again, pulling down 13 boards, and added three points. Jonas also finished with a team-high three assists.
Manitoba:
Taylor Randall led all scorers in the game with 25 points, and added four steals and three rebounds. Behind her in scoring was Keziah Brothers, who had eight.
Claire Harvey had a team-high 11 rebounds, while Nicole Konieczny and Brothers shared the team-high in assists, with three apiece.
By the Numbers:
The Heat had a slight edge in percentage from behind the three-point line (26.9% - 26.3%), but the Bisons finished ahead in both field goal percentage (40% - 22.2%) and free-throw percentage (84.6% - 57.1%).
Rebounds were 47-44 for the Bisons, who also finished ahead in assists, 13-11. The Heat finished ahead in steals (7-4) and blocks (1-0).
Next Up:
After the December break, the UBC Okanagan Heat (0-10) will get the season back underway with a pair of games on the road, when they take on the UNBC Timberwolves (4-8) in Prince George, BC on January 5 & 6.
The Manitoba Bisons (6-6) will get underway in the new year when they host a pair of games against the Lethbridge Pronghorns (10-2) on January 5 & 6.