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Bar set high for UNBC after sweep of CIS squad from Kamloops |
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Written by JASON PETERS, Citizen staff
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Sunday, 05 October 2008 |
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NORTHERN SPORT CENTRERED DEERTHOMPSON RIVERS UNIVERSITY WOLFPACK
Gill and Clair, guards for the UNBC Northern Timberwolves men’s basketball team, played huge roles in a comeback victory against the WolfPack Saturday night at the Northern Sport Centre. With Gill and Clair setting the pace of play, the T-wolves outscored the WolfPack 32-16 in the fourth quarter and won the exhibition contest 76-69 in front of about 300 fans. From his point guard position, Gill drained 13 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth. Clair, slippery-fast at shooting guard, scored 12 in the final quarter to finish with 15 on the night.
Do the math, and the Gill-Clair combo accounted for 25 of UNBC’s 32 points in the last 10 minutes of play.
“Roopi, he’s a guy that, when we look at tempo, there aren’t too many guys around that are quicker than him,” said T-wolves head coach Mike Raimbault. “He did a great job of getting out and running the lanes, and Inderbir was doing a good job of finding both him and Matt Mills (with passes) and they were able to get their feet under them and get some open looks and knock them down. As for Inderbir, he’s going to have the ball in his hands a lot late in games. He made great decisions and attacked at the right times.”
Clair’s only hoop of the first half was a three-pointer that gave the Timberwolves a 9-8 advantage in the first quarter. They didn’t lead again until he hit another trey with 7:02 remaining in the fourth. On that Clair bomb, UNBC moved in front 57-56. TRU’s George Aramide briefly put the WolfPack back on top, 58-57, but a Mills three-ball from the baseline caused another lead change with 6:16 left on the clock. The Timberwolves kept the WolfPack playing chase the rest of the way.
Gill and Clair - from Spokane and Surrey respectively - are new to the Timberwolves this season. But, they have known each other for a couple years and have worked similar magic during summertime tournaments.
“We did this in East Indian tournaments quite a bit too,” Clair said. “I’m a streaky player, he’s more of a consistent player but gets on streaks as well. I feel like if I hit one or two shots, I can hit a couple more.”
The Timberwolves had a tough time finding a groove in the first half, and a big part of their problem was fouls. The T-wolves were whistled for 11 infractions in the first quarter alone and 15 in the half, which kept them from getting any momentum going. They trailed 34-27 at the break. In the third quarter, TRU held a slight edge in scoring, 19-17. But, about half way through the third, the game had started to shift in UNBC’s favour. That led to the big fourth.
“Even though (TRU) still had a nine-point lead at the end of the third quarter, it was more of our tempo,” Gill said. “So at the start of the fourth quarter we knew it was our game to win and we just did what we had to do. We’re a fast-paced team. Everything starts with our defence and getting the rebounds out so our guards can hit the wing.”
Joel Rybachuk, UNBC’s backup point guard in the game, was also impressive. In 14:43 of court time, he scored 14 points. Drew Bleth, with 15 points, led TRU offensively. Aramide hit for 14 and Jeff Friesen had 13.
The Timberwolves also beat the WolfPack Friday night at the Sport Centre, 77-64. In that game, UNBC led from start to finish. The victories bode well for the T-wolves, because they play in the B.C. Colleges Athletic Association, while the WolfPack compete in the higher-level Canadian Interuniversity Sport league.
This UNBC team will host the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association national championship tournament in March and has been built with that event in mind. Based on the results against TRU, the UNBC players are a confident group right now.
“I think we’re capable of winning it all,” Gill said. “But we definitely have a lot of work to do in order to do that. We have to stay humble and keep working hard.”
The Timberwolves will be back at work Thursday through Sunday. At a SAIT tournament in Calgary, they will face Mount Royal College (Thursday), SAIT (Friday) and St. Mary’s College (Saturday). Then, on Sunday, they’ll be in Red Deer to tip off against Red Deer College.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 05 October 2008 )
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