The UBC men’s basketball team dominated in their first playoff matchup, sweeping the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns 81-57 on Thursday and 85-57 on Friday. Coach Kevin Hanson’s squad are now headed to Calgary for the Canada West Final Four where they will face Thompson Rivers University in the semifinal.
Coming out on Thursday with one of his strongest performances of the year was senior guard Jordan Jensen-Whyte who tallied 25 points along with three rebounds and two steals.
“I’ve just been a lot more aggressive,” said Jensen-Whyte. “The playoffs [are] ... a little more physical, so it’s just about trying to get myself head-down, going to the hoop and knocking down shots when I have them.”
However, it was speedy third-year guard Phil Jalalpoor who led the transition offence early on — notching a steal and two layups in the first minute of action. A pair of impressive three-pointers from Jalalpoor put the T-Birds up 13-2 by the five minute mark.
UBC’s strong shooting had Lethbridge struggling to close the scoring gap. Rookie guard Taylor Browne nailed two baseline three-pointers off the bench while Will Ondrik capitalized on his mid-range shooting ability to score nine points by the end of the frame.
The Horns beat the buzzer, scoring three points to end the first quarter down 28-13.
The second quarter was highlighted by a commanding performance from Jensen-Whyte who scored 14 of the ’Birds 18 points in the period. Jensen-Whyte found his rhythm pushing the ball in transition and impressed fans with his patented turnaround hook shot off the ’Birds dribble-drive offence.
Despite Lethbridge’s struggles to get to the rim, fifth-year guard Rob Olsen netted eight points and helped hold UBC’s lead to 15 by the half.
Play became increasingly sloppy in the third quarter with Lethbridge committing 12 team fouls. The T-Birds capitalized by knocking down 13 of 14 free throws attempts in the frame and extended their lead to 65-45 entering the final period.
Save for a couple of defensive breakdowns, the T-Birds ended strong, posting a further 16 points for the 81-57 decision. Notably, UBC’s full-court press proved effective against the Horns and could become a key fourth-quarter execution for the team going forward.
On Friday, the T-Birds showed up for one of their top defensive performances of the year. Determined to sweep Lethbridge and continue their momentum, coach Hanson expected a full 40 minutes of heavy pressure from his team.
It was evident that Friday’s game was something of a practice run for the defensive systems the ’Birds will be running in their semifinal matchup. Turning defence into offence, the T-Birds excelled in the transition game with the bench in particular, posting significant numbers.
Buoyed by strong shooting in the first half, UBC had five players finish in double digit scoring. Jalalpoor led the tally with 13 points while Browne and Ondrik notched 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Veterans David Wagner and Conor Morgan both found their stride in the game, each posting 11 points along with a combined six steals and a block each. Wagner was seen in his best form after scoring three baskets in a row including a tough fading hook off a post-entry pass.
“This was my last game here at War Memorial Gym, so I wanted to give it my all and really have a performance I can be proud of,” said Wagner.
After extending the lead to 42 in the third quarter, coach Hanson saw the second half as an opportunity to exercise the bench players and give his starters a bit of a breather. Despite lacklustre defence in the final frame, UBC cruised to an 85-57 decision to sweep the Horns.
Although satisfied with their win, the ’Birds are back in full swing preparing for their next playoff matchup.
“Lethbridge plays a lot of zone, [whereas] in the Final Four and in Nationals there’s going to be a lot more man-to-man, so we’ve got to limit our turnovers,” explained Hanson. “We have to get back to practice to work on that.”
Regardless of the outcome in the Canada West Final Four, the ’Birds have secured a spot as the host for the CIS Men’s Basketball Final 8 for the first time in over four decades. T-Birds fans can expect to see UBC’s senior squad putting everything on the floor March 17 at 8 p.m. for their quarter-final matchup at Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.