UBC and Regina traded leads throughout the first part of the game, but eventually the visiting Thunderbirds pulled away from the Cougars for a 76-64 win in a Canada West men's basketball game at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.
The Cougars were limited to just two field goals in the game's final eight minutes, as what had been just a three-point deficit two minutes into the fourth turned into a double-digit UBC advantage with two and a half remaining. UBC held on for the comfortable win, improving its conference record to 11-6 on the season and clinching a Pioneer Division playoff berth.
Tommy Nixon had another fine game for UBC, leading all players in both points (27) and rebounds (15) as the fifth-year forward collected his fifth double-double of the Canada West schedule – all of which have come in the last nine games. Kedar Wright scored 15 for UBC, while Tonner Jackson also had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Jonathan Tull (pictured) was 3-for-7 from three-point range and led the Cougars with 26 points, nine rebounds, and four steals. Brandon Tull added 14 for the U of R.
The teams traded leads three times in the game's opening 1:30 and four more times before the end of the first quarter. The Cougars went on an 8-2 run over the final two minutes of the first to take a 22-20 lead heading into the second, but UBC took the lead back almost immediately in the second and would stay in front the rest of the game. The Thunderbirds opened up their first double-digit lead with a quick 9-1 run over two and a half minutes before halftime, and led 43-35 at the break.
Free throws by Conor Morgan gave UBC what would be its largest lead of the game – 13 points – just under three minutes into the third, but the Cougars made things interesting. They scored the next seven points to cut the lead to six, and another 7-0 run made it a one-possession game late in the third.
It looked as though the two teams were primed for a battle down the stretch after a layup by Brandon Tull again cut UBC's lead to three early in the fourth, but the offence simply dried up for the Cougars down the stretch. Their only other field goals of the quarter came on another Brandon Tull layup with three minutes to go and a Tull jumper with about 1:30 left, but by that time UBC had built up another double-digit lead and was in control.
With three games left on the conference schedule, the Cougars (7-10) now can only catch sixth-place Winnipeg (10-6) and seventh-place Manitoba (9-9) – the teams currently occupying the final two postseason berths in the division. Winnipeg is at Trinity Western this weekend, while Manitoba is idle awaiting a matchup at UBC next weekend.
Regina and UBC will meet again on Saturday night (8:00, canadawest.tv).