WBB FALL TO THUNDERBIRDS AT UBC
Michelle Dimond (foreground) and Kailey Calonna (background) were two of the top point getters for TRU in this game
For immediate release: February 6, 2009
Vancouver, BC—A sluggish first quarter and turnovers did in the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack this afternoon (Feb 6) in Canada West Women’s Basketball Action. The WolfPack fell to the host University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 80-42. The loss was the WolfPacks 13 th in a row, 12 th in league play to fall to 3 and 19 on the season. UBC won their sixth game in eight starts to move to 12 and 10 on the year.
The WolfPack were down 30-7 after the first quarter as UBC quickly got off to an 11-0 run. TRU turned the ball over 18 times in the first half and 36 throughout the game. The Thunderbirds surrendered the ball 19 times in the contest.
Said WolfPack Coach Scott Reeves: “UBC came out ready to play and looked liked they were preparing for playoffs and we came out like our year was over. “
Seven different T-Birds chipped in at least three points in the first quarter, with Zara Huntley (2nd year, Post, Halifax, NS) leading the charge by picking up eight points on four-of-five shooting. The ‘Birds completely controlled the boards, with a 13-4 rebounding advantage, and held the WolfPack to 20% field goal shooting in the first frame, setting the tone for the rest of the contest.
"I was really happy with the intensity we came out with today," said UBC coach Deb Huband. "Our defence fueled our offence today, particularly in the first quarter, when we dominated on the glass, which allowed us to run and not allow any second chance points. Also just being aggressive and executing offensively, we were able to get them in a bit of early foul trouble which helped us get on track fast. Overall it was a great team effort with a lot of energy from everyone who stepped on the floor and I was pleased with that."
Leanne Evans (4th year, forward, Port Moody, BC) led the Thunderbirds on offense with 12 rebounds and 16 points in 29 minutes of play. Arianne Duchesne (1st year, guard, Montreal, Que) had 15 points.
TRU, who used their entire bench, were led by 2nd year forward Michelle Dimond. The native of Port Moody, BC had eight points and three rebounds (all on defense). Tracy Kocs (1st year, forward, Coquitlam, BC), Jessica Mulock (2nd year, forward, North Vancouver, BC) and Kailey Calonna (2nd year, forward, Invermere, BC) all had six points for TRU. Kocs had a team high five rebounds. All of them came in the defensive zone.
The WolfPack had a better second half than the first: improving in their field goal percentage from 29.6 per cent to 32.
UBC dominated in every statistic: outscoring TRU 40-20 in the paint, scoring 37 points off turnovers compared to the WolfPack’s 6. They also scored 14 points off the fast break. TRU had four. The Thunderbirds bench outscored TRU’s 30-18.
Reeves was philosophical about his teams performance by saying “As a team we had good defensive rotations on their screen and roll but no one really stepped up to eliminate turnovers or get us into offence. We hope to reduce turnovers with more playing experience.”
The season comes to a close for the young WolfPack Saturday night at UVic against the Vikes, who enter play Friday (Feb 6) riding a seven game winning streak. UBC closes out the regular season at home to the University of the Fraser Valley. The T-Birds are battling Trinity for 3rd and fourth place in the Pacific Division. Trinity spends the weekend playing Manitoba (Fri Feb 6) and Winnipeg (Sat Feb 7)
(With Assistance from UBC Sports Information)