Eoin Colquhoun, Pronghorn Athletics
LETHBRIDGE – Up seven points with less than four minutes to play, the Lethbridge Pronghorns couldn't hold off the UBC Thunderbirds down the stretch and dropped a razor thin 65-63 decision.
The loss is the Pronghorns third in a row and drops their record to 10-5 on the season, while the T-Birds, who had a bye last week, kicked of the 2018 portion of their Canada West schedule in style, snapping a five game losing streak and improve to 5-8.
Senior guard Zoe Dahl led the Pronghorns with 16 points, while Amy Mazutinec came off the bench and collected a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards.
For the T-Birds, Keylyn Filewich led all scorers and collected a double-double of her own with 27 points and 12 rebounds. She also picked up four steals. Jessica Hanson and Maddison Penn rounded out the leading scorers for UBC with 13 and 10 points respectively.
In the opening quarter the teams traded runs with the Pronghorns opening with an early 12-4 lead before UBC scored the next eight points to tie the game and set the tone for the night, with neither team gaining control, leaving the result in doubt until the final buzzer.
The Pronghorns held a 16-14 led after one and UBC turned the tables in the second quarter holding a slim 31-30 lead at the break.
Through the first 20 minutes, the T-Birds hit on 48.3% from the floor but were only 1-for-7 from behind the arc. The Pronghorns hit on only 33.3% in the half and also struggled from long range, only hitting 3 of 11.
The back-and-forth affair continued into the third, with the Thunderbirds extending their lead to five, only to see the Pronghorns tie the game at 48 with just over two minutes to play. However, at the end of the quarter, UBC extended their lead from the first half by one and held a 50-48 lead.
A 13-4 run by the home side put the Pronghorns up seven points, a lead that they would not hold on to, as the Pronghorns would not score a point in the final 3:30 of the game. A Madison Legault bucket to give the Thunderbird the lead and Jessica Hanson hit one of two free throws to give UBC the victory.
Similar to the score, statistically not much separated the two teams. UBC shot the ball slightly better on the night, 44.4% to 40%, while the Pronghorns hit four more shots from behind the arc and two more free throws. The Pronghorns also finished ahead in the rebounding category, 36-33.
The Pronghorns and Thunderbirds will be back on the 1st Choice Savings Centre Court tomorrow night to conclude the weekend set, tip-off is slated for 5:00Pm. The game will also be streamed live on www.canadawest.tv.