EDMONTON - Former conference MVP Kris Young was the difference, scoring 12 points in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter to lead the No.2 University of British Columbia Thunderbirds to a 73-66 victory over the No.3 University of Alberta Pandas, snapping Alberta's 24-game win streak in the process, Saturday night at the Saville Community Sports Centre.

The best player in Canada West in 2012-13 earned a double-double, netting game-highs in points (23) and rebounds (15) while former conference all-star Harleen Sidhu scored 20 points and eight boards.

Team leading scorer Saskia van Ginhoven had a team-high 18 points for the home team, falling just short of a double-double with nine rebounds. Fourth-year guard Renee Byrne also cracked the double-digit barrier with 10 points on the scoresheet.

Alberta suffers its first loss in conference play in over a year, last losing here in Edmonton to Regina on November 8, 2013 by a 74-58 decision. Yet the Pandas remain atop the Pioneers Division with a 5-1 record while UBC sits in second with a 3-1 win-loss standing.

The road team jumped out to a 7-0 start, fourth-year guard Cassandra Knievel leading the charge with a deuce and a triple in the opening two minutes but the home team kept fighting back, cutting the lead to three at the end of the quarter.

Byrne tied it up to open the second on a three-ball, starting a 14-4 run to swing the momentum but then the T-birds battled back, refusing to let Alberta pull away, as Sidhu put up four points in the final minute to make it 37-35 for the Pandas at halftime.

Both squads came out firing in the third quarter, Alberta shooting at 62% for the entire ten minutes while UBC's shooting dwindled in the field, the Pandas consistently fouling up the T-bird shots. A great strategy for the home team except UBC had no trouble turning those fouls into points at the charity stripe, draining all but two of nine free throws to pull ahead near the end of the quarter.

A Megan Wickstrom trey from the top of the arc with two seconds left regained the lead for Alberta but the visitors kicked things up a notch in the final frame, outrebounding the Pandas on offence while still dominating at the foul line.

After a van Ginhoven jumper just inside the five-minute mark gave Alberta the lead one last time, Young took center stage and didn't miss on six straight shots.

Two from beyond the arc, two inside the paint, and two from the charity stripe with 35 seconds left had UBC up by 10, dominating ball control in the final minute to keep the fourth-highest offence in the nation at bay and eclipsing Alberta's year-long win streak.

The Pandas take the "bye" next weekend before heading off to Victoria to play the Vikes in the final weekend of November. The Thunderbirds head to Winnipeg November 21-22 to face the Wesmen before heading home to host the Saskatchewan Huskies.