UBC Women's Basketball Mid-Season Hoop Scoop
After a busy pre-season that included tournaments in Calgary and Kingston, Ontario, the T-Birds were excited to hit the home court for the 2017-18 Canada West season opener at the end of October. Game one of the series against UFV was a back-and-forth affair with UBC pulling away halfway through the final frame to take the game 71-62. Second-year forward Keylyn Filewich was an efficient 10-13 from the floor to count for 21 points, while Maddison Penn notched her first double-double of league play with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Third-year guard Jessica Hanson added 11 points in the win. Saturday’s rematch saw an energized T-Birds team in the first quarter, as the home team limited the Cascades to nine points over the first 10 minutes, and extend their lead to 18 heading into half time. Filewich (21/12) and Penn (15/11) both grabbed double-doubles on the night, while Hanson went 4-7 from deep for 15 points, and second-year centre Marcie Schlick grabbed 10 boards of her own. UBC was back to Calgary for the second time in 3 weeks where they saw their high-scoring ways come to a screeching halt in game one; a tough combination of high turnovers and 26% shooting resulted in a 29-point loss on Friday’s match-up. A more disciplined defensive effort and a 22-27 team performance from the free throw line were catalysts in the ‘Birds’ bounce-back win on Saturday night. Penn and Filewich filled up the stats sheets with double-doubles – Penn leading the way with 35 points and 12 rebounds.
UBC flew to northern BC the following weekend where Prince George native Schlick was welcomed with fanfare at the local airport upon her arrival back home. Friday’s match-up was tight through the first three quarters, with UBC taking a 3-point lead into the final frame, but shooting went cold down the stretch, resulting in a 75-65 loss. Penn hauled in her fourth double-double in five games, scoring 19 points and adding 15 rebounds, while Filewich (19) and Hanson (14) were the other double-digit scorers. The ‘Birds got off to a better start on Saturday, outscoring the ‘Wolves 22-14 in the opening quarter, but the home team started to heat up from beyond the arc in the second en route to a 12-19 team performance from 3-point land to complete the sweep. Hanson and Filewich were the leading scorers for the ‘Birds with 19 and 12 respectively, while second-year guard Gabby Laguerta had a career-best 12 points on the night.
UBC hosted the Trinity Western Spartans in mid November, who came into the series on a program-best five-game win streak. The home team were not gracious hosts, snapping the streak with a 69-58 win and outrebounding the Spartans 57-37. Penn led all players with 27 points and 17 rebounds, while Filewich and Hanson added 14 apiece. Saturday’s rematch saw a re-focused Trinity Western team get off to an aggressive start, taking the first quarter 24-15. The ‘Birds battled back and a 63-63 deadlock forced the extra time, but the ‘Birds couldn’t find their stroke in the overtime, dropping the contest 75-71. Shlick and Filewich each secured double-doubles (12/12, 10/10 respectively), while Penn led all scorers with 29 and Hanson added 10.
UBC headed to Winnipeg for the final road trip of 2017, making it five weekends out of seven they departed from Vancouver International Airport. It was a tale of two quarters in Friday night’s game, with UBC jumping out to a dominant 25-12 lead in the opening frame, before Winnipeg pulled off a 29-13 performance in the second quarter. UBC once again pulled away in the third before stalling offensively down the stretch, eventually losing 78-71. Penn (31/13) and Hanson (18) led the way for the ‘Birds, who notched a season-high 21 assists on the night. UBC faced off against a hot-shooting Winnipeg squad in Saturday’s rematch, as the Wesmen scored 27 points from range, compared to UBC’s nine, to complete the sweep. Penn continued her streak of double-doubles, with 11 points and 12 rebounds, with Filewich scoring 14 points and Hanson adding 10 points and 6 assists.
UBC was back to the welcome confines of War Memorial Gym for the final league games before the winter break, hosting the third-ranked team in the country in the Regina Cougars. Playing without second-leading scorer UBC Thunderbirds Guard, Jessica Hanson Filewich, who was out with injury, and having a tough time converting at the rim with a 28% team field goal percentage, the ‘Birds dropped game one 81-54. A strong team defense effort was on display in the opening quarter of game 2 of the series, with the ‘Birds limiting the Cougars to just nine first quarter points to take a 10-point lead early on. Despite winning the rebounding battle, a slew of turnovers in the second half resulted in some easy buckets for the visiting team, and UBC couldn’t hang on to their lead, dropping the rematch 72-56. Schlick had a strong performance for the T-Birds, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the year.
On December 27th, the UBC Women’s Basketball team travelled to Havana, Cuba for a week of basketball, teambuilding, community outreach and warm weather. The trip marked the fourth time Head Coach Deb Huband has taken her team to Cuba, which provides a great opportunity for her young team to bond on and off the court. The on-court training took place in the 1991 PanAmerican Games basketball facility. Highlights included training sessions and scrimmages against a Cuban team that included four athletes who represented Cuba at the 2015 Pan-American Games and won the bronze medal. The games were fast-paced and physical, and exposed the UBC athletes to a very different international style of play. The team took a guided tour of Old Havana where they learned about the history and culture of the country, and were treated to an amazing musical performance by the children from Cascabelitos – a community outreach project that uses music, art and theatre to provide opportunities and community-building for children in an inner-city neighourhood in Havana. The ‘Birds rang in the New Year with salsa dancing and a traditional Cuban show before spending New Year’s Day training and relaxing on the beach. The trip was a oncein-a-lifetime experience for our athletes, and was a great opportunity to build on and off-court chemistry while experiencing a new culture.
THUNDERBIRDS IN THE COMMUNITY
As part of their team motto: “Striving for Excellence on the Court, in the Classroom and in the Community”; the Women’s Basketball team were once again active members of the UBC and broader Vancouver community this semester. Several members of the team led weekly sessions through October at the Aboriginal Friendship Centre in coordination with the Vancouver Girls Basketball Association. The team had the opportunity to visit one of the on-campus elementary schools, Norma Rose Point, to participate in their Daily Physical Activity runs, as well as lead some discussions about goal-setting, leadership and growth mindset. In late November the T-Birds welcomed the ‘Eagles’, a local U9 team coached by Thunderbird alumnus and current VPD Superintendent Michelle Davey to a game to participate in the pre-game introduction and anthem routines, and to get on the ‘big court’ at halftime. Finally, three members of our team volunteered one Sunday afternoon to assist at the annual Vancouver Santa Claus parade, where they had a blast dressing up in inflatable costumes and walking the parade route. We look forward to continuing our tradition of community involvement in the New Year!
SCHOOL DAY 2018 @ UBC
On January 19th, approximately 900 Vancouver area Elementary school students will join us for a free fun-filled day of education and sport. Students will meet the UBC Thunderbirds Women’s Basketball team and take part in a variety of free activities culminating in prime seats at a basketball match-up between the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds and the visiting MacEwan Griffins. Throughout the game, there will be opportunities for students to participate in on-court mini-games as well as to interact with UBC Student Athletes.
UBC ATHLETICS INTRODUCES NEW STUDENT-ATHLETE MENTAL HEALTH WEBSITE
UBC Athletics and Recreation is proud to launch the UBC Thunderbirds Mental Health Hub, a ground-breaking mental health and performance portal. Inspired by and modeled on the Athletes Connected program at the University of Michigan, the T-Birds Mental Health Hub was developed by the UBC Psychotherapy Program in collaboration with the department of Athletics and UBC Counselling Services to increase awareness of mental health issues, reduce the stigma of seeking help, and to promote general health and wellness among varsity athletes. Visit the site at: ubcathleteshub.ca
SAVE THE DATE: MILLENNIUM BREAKFAST
UBC Athletics will once again be presenting the Millennium Scholarship Breakfast on Tuesday, February 27th, 2018. This year, as in the past, the University has committed to match all donations dollar for dollar. This matching creates a powerful fundraising opportunity for varsity teams as it better enables student athletes to complete their degree while competing in one of the top varsity programs in the country. Visit the site at: gothunderbirds.ca/breakfast
UBC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TO HOST 10YR ANNIVERSARY
UBC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL is looking forward to celebrating the achievements of the 2007-08 women’s basketball team that captured the U Sports (CIS) Bronze Baby trophy in 2008. The win marked the third championship in five years for the program, and featured a trio of five-year Thunderbirds: Erica McGuinness; Cait Haggarty; and Julie Little, who were part of all three championship teams during their time at UBC. Four players on the team also represented their country internationally with Canada basketball. The 10-year reunion will be part of this year’s ‘Courtside’ Festival event taking place against the University of Victoria on Friday, February 2nd. There will be a pre-game reception beginning at 5:30pm at War Memorial Gym, and the team will be recognized at centre court immediately following the game.
UPCOMING GAMES:
FRIDAY JAN 19 @ 1 PM vs MacEwan War Memorial Gym
SATURDAY JAN 20 @ 5 PM vs MacEwan War Memorial Gym
FRIDAY JAN 26 @ 6 PM at UBC Okanagan
SATURDAY JAN 27 @ 5 PM at UBC Okanagan
THURSDAY FEB 1 @ 6 PM at Victoria
FRIDAY FEB 2 @ 6 PM – COURTSIDE EVENT vs Victoria War Memorial Gym
COMMUNITY
