Heat withstand late game push to take first game of the weekend

Justin McCaffrey, Mount Royal Cougars Sports Information

CALGARY, AB- UBC Okangan earned their seventh win of the season defeating the Mount Royal Cougars 44-40 on Kenyon Court. Shenelle Tamminen (11) and Claire Elliot (10) led the way in scoring for the Heat. The Cougars' Becky Nash led all scorers with a game-high 12 points.

Mount Royal came out of the gate with a lot of hustle but were unable to score off the dribble. UBC Okanagan started the game on a 4-1 run and then a spell of ice-cold shooting fell all over both sides. Neither team was able to find the basket for minutes on end. The Heat's Chloe Kennedy finally made a jumper to break the deadlock and put the Heat up five. The Heat scored went on a 6-2 run from there ad took a 12-3 lead into the quarter break.

Mount Royal came to life in the second quarter scoring six straight points to shave the Heat's lead to five. Coach Nate McKibbon subbed in Michelle Tiffany and Angela Driscoll and the pace picked up dramatically. Although the two guards ran the floor and pushed the pace, Mount Royal trailed 25-18 at the half.

Becky Nash drove the basket hard to open the third quarter and drew two foul. Nash made both shots to bring the Cougars to within five points. Minutes later, Michelle Tiffany drove the lane to bring the Cougars to within three points, the closest they had been since the first quarter.

Melissa Moore took over late in the third scoring four quick points to bring the lead to just a single point. Yasmene Saghir had a hard effort under the net, garbbing her own rebound and then adding the put back to tie the game 33-33. Shenelle Tamminen scored four late points including a buzzer beater to store the UBC Okanagan lead after three quarters of play.

The atmosphere in the gym was intensified in the fourth. The Cougars and Heat led furious rushes down the floor. Down four the Cougars offence went stagnant and needed a spark. That spark came in the form of a Michelle Tiffany three-pointer to bring the Cougars to within one.

The Cougars had a chance to take the lead with 20 seconds left but Melissa Moore was just short and UBC Okanagan collected the rebound, forcing Mount Royal to foul. The Heat made both free throws putting them up by three. Michelle Tiffany had an open look from three-point range to tie the game but the ball just rattled out. UBC Okanagan went to the line again and sealed the game, winning 44-40.

With the win UBC Okanagan moves into second place with a record of 7-3 on the season.

Mount Royal drops to 1-10 in Canada West regular season play.

The Cougars and Heat will clash again on Kenyon Court, Saturday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00pm MST.

Photo Credit: Adrian Shellard