Aaron Martin (UBC Thunderbirds)
VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds women's basketball team (9-11) took matters into their own hands on Saturday night, guaranteeing themselves a spot in the Canada West playoffs with an 86-38 win over the Winnipeg Wesmen (8-12).
On a night where the 'Birds honoured seniors Diana Lee (North Vancouver) and Adrienne Parkin (Vancouver), the duo led the way. Lee paced the club with 18 points, adding six rebounds and three assists. Parkin notched a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double, while also picking up three assists.
"I think the game was clearly pretty meaningful to them," said UBC head coach Deb Huband. "It sneaks up on you fast, that last home game in your fifth year. I know that they've enjoyed their time at UBC, and they've both contributed immensely to this program. It was great to see them do that in the wins this weekend."
Forward Kara Spotton (Fort Collins, Colo.), and guards Shilpa Khanna (Surrey, B.C.) and Jessica Hanson (Vancouver) all hit double digits in scoring, with the former putting up 14, and the latter two putting up 12 apiece.
Guard Megan Noonan provided more than half of Winnipeg's offence with a 20-point performance. Faith Hezekiah grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
"I think the girls just took care of business," noted Huband. "We obviously did our work in preparing for the game all week, but it was up to the girls to execute, and they did that extremely well."
The 'Birds did came out flying in the opening minutes of the contest. Lee and Parkin led the charge in the early going, each netting four points as the 'Birds jumped out to a 15-6 lead just over six minutes into the game.
The T-Birds' high-pressure defending forced Winnipeg to try several low-percentage shots over that same stretch, leading the Winnipeg coaching staff to call a timeout.
The call didn't do much to alter the run of play, as the 'Birds closed the frame on an 8-2 run to take a 23-8 advantage into the break.
The rookie Hanson ended up leading the T-Birds in scoring over the opening 10 minutes, as the 5-foot-9 guard hit on both of her attempts from beyond the arc, totalling six points.
The T-Birds just continued to pour it on coming out of the intermission, with triples from Hanson and Khanna providing the highlights of their 16-3 run over the quarter's first five minutes.
Parkin, a 6-foot forward, showed off her range at the buzzer, putting up a last-second three that found nothing but net, putting the 'Birds up by a remarkable margin of 49-15 at the half.
Lee put on a bit of a show, knocking down three straight buckets for the 'Birds in the middle of the third frame. Up 55-19, the Handsworth Secondary alumna first rained down a picture-perfect three-ball. Seconds later, Lee showed off her quick hands by stealing an inbounds pass and putting home the easy layup. Lee capped off the run with another triple for good measure.
By the end of the third, the scoreboard read 72-23 for the 'Birds.
After Hanson opened the fourth with a triple for UBC, Winnipeg went on a 6-0 run. Noonan and Kaelei Knutson scored a field goal each, with Noonan adding a pair of free throws. She finished the night with nine successful foul shots on 15 opportunities.
The electric offence the 'Birds displayed will take up most headlines, but their defence was equally as spectacular, as they held Winnipeg to just 11-of-54 shooting, with the Wesmen knocking down just 1-of-18 attempts from downtown.
With both the 'Birds and Victoria Vikes winning on Saturday (the Vikes took down the Brandon Bobcats 70-65), UBC will finish the year sixth in the Pioneer Division. The Wesmen tied for the seventh-and-final playoff spot in the division but lost out to Trinity Western on a tie-breaker.
That means that the T-Birds will head out to Abbotsford next week, as they'll face the third-place team from the Explorer Division, the Fraser Valley Cascades, in a three-game play-in series to earn a spot in the Canada West quarter-finals.
"This weekend, was the best basketball that we've played all year, and we seem to be peaking at the right time," said Huband. "Hopefully, it gives us some confidence going into next week."
Games 1 and 2 will take place Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m. A third-and-deciding contest, if necessary, will be played on Sunday at 5 p.m.
All three games are scheduled to be played at the Envision Athletic Centre in Abbotsford, B.C.
IMAGE CREDIT: Rich Lam/UBC Thunderbirds