This weekend, the UBC women’s basketball team faced the University of Manitoba Bisons in an enthralling two-game series. The T-Birds took down the Bisons 67–52 on Friday and secured the series with a 69–42 blowout on Saturday.
Game one proved to be a comprehensive win for the T-Birds, as they led in score the entire time. In the opening plays of the game, Jade Huynh dropped her defender and scored with a great hesitation dribble and Emily Martindale hit a tough, off-balance and-one floater to set the tone.
In the second half, second-year Mona Berlitz continued the stellar play, hauling in three offensive rebounds in one possession and sent herself to the free-throw stripe in the process. Berlitz posted multiple season highs this game, pulling down 13 rebounds and scoring 21 points.
The second game was as straightforward as the first. Huynh put on another stellar dribbling display and Berlitz opened the game with a tough and-one finish. After connecting on her first three-point attempt, second-year Stella Lagrange had an explosive first-half where she went 4/4 on three pointers. She finished the game with a career high of 15 points.
Berlitz continued her dominance with 20 points, 9 rebounds and a rare three pointer. Olivia Weekes also finished the series off strong, collecting a total of 20 rebounds throughout the two game series.
Despite the team's offensive prowess, much of the team's success was due to their defensive play. They totalled 21 steals over the entirety of the homestand. Lagrange attributed much of the team's success to their ability to lock in defensively.
“As a team, it was just all five people working together which makes it so easy to get all of those tips,” she said.
The Thunderbirds next home game is on February 9 where they take on the University of Calgary Dinos. Before that, they’ll play the UNBC Timberwolves and the UBCO Heat in consecutive weekends on the road.