The Thunderbirds started their season off with a hard-fought 99–78 win over the Trinity Western University Spartans in their home opener on Saturday night.
In the Canada West coaches' pre-season poll, UBC was ranked 2nd among 17 teams in the division. The T-Birds played a tough offensive game with a diverse rotation, with all 12 players getting time on the court and scoring.
The first quarter started rocky, with UBC going scoreless for two threes and a jumper from Trinity Western, and allowing for five turnovers in the first three minutes. Guard Fareed Shittu got the scoring started with a clean jumper from the paint. The ‘Birds were finally able to turn things around, finishing the first quarter 32–19 above the Spartans.
The second quarter was electric, with rookie Nylan Roberts making his UBC debut and scoring 6 points and 3 assists in his first shift as a Thunderbird.
“We absolutely love him ... he’s the future of our program right now,” said head coach Kevin Hanson.
UBC continued to bring a strong offensive matchup, leading the game by almost 20 points just before the half. Trinity Western kept up their strong defensive fight — with 2 steals and a set of free throws in the last 2 minutes, they shortened UBC’s lead to 13.
During the second half, the Spartans continued the fight for the win, outscoring the Thunderbirds 23–17. A low-scoring period allowed the Spartans to continue to narrow their deficit, with TWU’s David Mutabazi scoring 10 of 23 total points. The quarter ended with UBC in the lead 72–65.
The Thunderbirds found their groove in the last quarter. Fourth-year forward Nikola Guzina shot 5/6 from the field, putting up 10 points in 8 minutes of playing time. The last two minutes of the fourth quarter were nothing but electric. A dunk from Guzina sent War Memorial into a frenzy and Gus Goerzen rode the energy, shooting two threes and a layup to end the game.
“We’re pretty scary when we share the ball ... it seems like every game we got some highlight reel dunks and shots,” said Hanson after the 99–78 point victory. When asked about the rocky start to the game, Hanson said it’s part of the beginning of a new season.
“We’re still trying to find out which five guys are gonna have the chemistry to play together,” he said. ”We got confidence in every guy.”
The ‘Birds have a break before they head down next week to Kamloops to play a weekend series against Thompson Rivers University.
“They play tough against us every time, we just need to win by one,” said Hanson.
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