T-birds top UNBC in playoff opener
The UBC Thunderbirds kept Vasiliki Louka quiet. If they can do it again, they may have reason to make some celebratory noise.
The UBC women’s basketball team held Louka – a star post player for the UNBC Timberwolves – to eight points in a Friday afternoon Canada West quarterfinal playoff game at War Memorial Gym in Vancouver. UBC’s overall defensive performance led to a 74-61 win.
The Thunderbirds will host Game 2 of the best-of-three series today (2 p.m. tip-off) and will move on to the next round with a victory. If a third game is required, it will start at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
When the T-birds and T-wolves met earlier this month at War Memorial, Louka combined for 45 points in two games, including a 30-point effort on Feb. 4.
In Friday’s playoff opener, the six-foot-three Louka was limited to four field goals in 32 minutes of playing time and also turned the ball over five times.
UBC led 19-12 after the first quarter and was up 37-28 at halftime. The Thunderbirds stretched their advantage to 55-42 after three quarters and maintained their lead the rest of the way.
Preety Nijjar, a graduating forward for UNBC, paced her team offensively with 12 points while high-scoring guard Maria Mongomo managed just eight. Local guard Hannah Pudlas also scored eight points for the T-wolves in what was their first-ever playoff game at the Canada West level. Madison Landry and Stacey Graham added seven points and six points respectively for UNBC.
On the other side of the ball, second-year guard Maddison Penn did most of the offensive damage for the Thunderbirds. She hit for a game-high 22 points and got support from Krysten Lindquist and Andrea Strujic, who both finished in double digits. Lindquist, a second-year guard, finished with 13 points while Strujic, a six-footthree forward in her fifth and final year of playing eligibility, was on target for 10.
As a team, UBC outscored UNBC 48-26 in the paint. The Timberwolves also committed 28 turnovers – 11 more than their hosts. The T-birds scored 25 points off giveaways and the T-wolves netted 11.
UBC led the game from start to finish.
Prince George’s Marcie Schlick is a rookie member of the Thunderbirds. The six-foot-four forward, a graduate of Duchess Park secondary school, was on the court only briefly and was held without a point.