War Memorial Gym - Fresh off of a commanding 106-74 win against the University of Manitoba Bisons in the first of the best-of-three Canada West Quarter-Final series, the Thunderbirds were looking to complete the sweep on Friday afternoon.
Looking to knock of the Bisons team that upset them in last years Canada West Quarter-Final, UBC sprung a 12-0 lead to start the game. Taylor Browne would knock down four first quarter triples on his way to 14 points in the quarter and an eventual 26-18 lead after 10 minutes.
In the second quarter, the game would slow and the teams would go for 16 points a piece. The Bisons would climb back to tie the game at 31-31 with just under four minutes to play in the half, but the Thunderbirds used a run where a dunk from Grant Shepard and seven consecutive points from Conor Morgan to take the lead 42-34 entering the locker rooms.
The scoring in the third quarter picked back up with both teams hot shooting from the field. The Thunderbirds opened with a pair of triples from Conor Morgan and Mason Bourcier. Seniors Phil Jalalpoor and Luka Zaharijevic would score the next eight points, alternating baskets for UBC that would put the T-Birds up 12 points. Grant Shepard would hammer down a massive left handed dunk to end the quarter on the fast break. The score after three quarters was 76-63 for the Thunderbirds.
In the final frame the Thunderbirds defence in combination with Taylor Browne’s continued hot shooting would seal the game for the home team. The Thunderbirds would hold the Bisons to just nine points in the final frame, a number Taylor Browne would match himself with three more “3’s” in the quarter on his way to a grand total of seven “3’s” and a team high 23 points. His seven three-pointers would be good for a new UBC playoff record for three pointers in a game. The Thunderbird freshmen would have a huge impact in this game as Mason Bourcier, Grant Shepard, Grant Audu, and Anthony Mcnish would combine for 40 points. Final score 97-72 for the Thunderbirds.
UBC will head to the University of Calgary this week for the best-of-three Canada West Semi-Final match-up starting at 7:00pm PST on Thursday February 22nd.
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