Len Catling (UBC Thunderbirds)
VANCOUVER – Too much UBC defence and too many Regina fouls was the storyline as the Thunderbirds dismantled the Cougars Friday night 78-57 at War Memorial Gym.
Conor Morgan (Victoria, B.C.) scored 23 spectacular points from inside and outside while grabbing 10 boards. Patrick Simon (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) was a force in the paint and finished with 17, while Jordan Jensen-Whyte (Calgary) buried 18 in a barrage of dunks and slashes to the rim.
Regina's Alex Igual scored 10 in the first half but only three in the second to end with 13. Brian Ofori dropped a dozen in the losing cause.
"We shared the basketball and really milked whoever was hot," said UBC head coach Kevin Hanson when asked if he was concerned the bulk of his scoring came from only three players. "I'm really pleased with that tonight."
Regina acted like they owned War Memorial Gym after the opening tip, capitalizing on a couple of UBC defensive breakdowns to take an early 7-0 lead. Igual leading the way with five slickly orchestrated points.
An emphatic dunk by Morgan midway through the first gave the 'Birds strength. Not only did they start attacking the rim and make repeated trips to the free throw line, they also firmed up their defence, punishing and thwarting Regina when they entered the blue paint.
A sequence near the end of the quarter showed just what kind of a run Morgan is on this season. With the shot clock expiring he drilled a three, committed thievery at the defensive end, then dribbled the ball coast-to-coast for the hoop and harm. The first quarter went into the books with UBC up 20-16.
The outset of the second quarter resembled the outset of the first with one key exception, Regina's continued driving and slicing into the UBC paint led to several trips to the free throw line. A beautiful three-way passing play lead to a rim-rattling dunk by Regina forward Ofori, which was followed by Cougar guard Brandon Tull soaring along the baseline for authoritative stuff. Regina regained the lead at 21-20.
Four points and a steal in a matter of second by forward Will Ondrik (Vernon, B.C.) gave UBC the lead, but Igual answered with a triple for Regina, knotting the game at 26.
The latter part of the second quarter was a flurry of dunks, threes, hard contact and prolonged Regina foul trouble. UBC guard Phil Jalalpoor (Shifferstadt, Germany) exposed the Regina reserves who dared defend him as he cut, dashed and dished in leading UBC to a nine-point lead. Thunderbird forward Simon was prolific in his bruising efficiency, shooting a perfect half for 11 points. Midway through the contest it was UBC with a 41-34 lead.
The third quarter was all about UBC's physicality on the defensive end, using it to build a double-digit lead. Thunderbird floor general A. J. Holloway (Tacoma, Wash.) harassed the Regina guards into poor decisions, while Morgan and Simon kept on filling the cup for the 'Birds. UBC enjoyed a 10-point lead entering the final frame.
The pattern continued in the fourth quarter with Simon using his strength to find a home under the Regina bucket and either scoring or getting to the free throw line. Holloway and Jensen-Whyte combined on a beautiful cross-court pass and dunk play that had Regina coach Steve Burrows call a timeout to try and bandage the bleeding.
But on this night there was just too much Morgan for Regina to handle as he smoothly took over the game down the stretch. He hit a 3-on-1 possession and then drove hard for a lay up the next, showing his versatility as a scorer.
By the end, UBC walked away from Regina 78-57. The Cougars will get a chance to redeem themselves tomorrow when the two teams rematch at 7 p.m. (PT) in War Memorial Gym.
The Bell NBA All-Star Challenge presented by AIR MILES is making its way across Canada ahead of the 2016 NBA All-Star Game in Toronto, and on Saturday, January 23, the competition will make its way to UBC's Point Grey campus.
Saturday's festivities, culminating with the Thunderbirds men's and women's double-header against the Regina Cougars, will be headlined by an appearance by former Grizzlies icon Shareef Abdur-Rahim, an NBA skills competition, and NBA dancers. The NBA will be rolling out the full big-league experience at War Memorial Gym during the two Thunderbird basketball games, as sponsors Bell, Samsung, BMO, and AIR MILES will be doling out prizes, giveaways amidst a host of interactive exhibits and performances.
IMAGE CREDIT: Bob Frid/UBC Thunderbirds