VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds bounced back to take down the Alberta Pandas 74-66 on Friday night at War Memorial Gym and improved to 5-2 on the Canada West season with one game remaining before the winter break.
Weekes led the T-Birds with 16 points and added eight rebounds, Mona Berlitz had 12 points with a team-high nine boards, Emily Martindale added 12 points with four rebounds, and Bergman put up 10 points and a season-high seven rebounds in the win.
Claire Signatovich racked up an impressive 17 points and 15 boards for the Pandas,
Emma Kary had 18 points with six rebounds, and
Kiah Easton-Ihediohanma added 12 points for Alberta in just their second loss of the Canada West regular season.
The Pandas jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the first on a tough Signatovich finish in the paint before
Morgan Harris made it a 10-point Alberta cushion with a floater in the lane at 17-7. UBC continued to push, and a Weekes jumper brought the 'Birds within five to end the quarter 17-12 Pandas.
The T-Birds came out firing in the second, as Weekes knotted it up at 19-19 with a three, Azalya Forstbauer lifted UBC to their first lead, and Katie Hartman extended it to 24-19. The Pandas drew even on free throws at 31-31 and Hartman maintained the tie with a nifty finish at the rim to send the two teams into halftime at 33-33.
A Sara Toneguzzi trey put the 'Birds ahead early in the third and Martindale added a triple of her own at 46-39 T-Birds. UBC continued to execute offensively, as Bergman knocked down a three for a 53-45 advantage. Kary responded with a tough bucket in the paint for the Pandas, but Berlitz hit a triple and the Thunderbirds led 58-49 after three.
Bergman drained her second three for a 63-51 UBC cushion in the fourth before Easton-Ihediohanma put Alberta back on the board with a three. The T-Birds entered the bonus midway through the quarter but the visitors continued to push, and
Rylee Semeniuk made it a two-possession game at 72-66 with 1:20 remaining. Berlitz hit two free throws late to ice it as UBC held on for a 74-66 victory.
The two teams will square off in a rematch on Saturday inside War Memorial Gym with tip-off slated for 4:00 p.m. (PT).
