Some of the pressure has been lifted off the UNBC women's basketball team.
They're currently on the road in Vancouver taking on the UBC Thunderbirds in a weekend back-to-back and this afternoon (Jan. 25) was a good day with the Timberwolves beating the hosts 77-60 and moving on past the regular season by clinching a playoff spot.
Coming into the game, UBC had only lost four games all season and held a 12-4 record, while UNBC came into the game, 9-7.
So naturally, the scales were tripping in favour of one team.
In the first quarter, UBC showed why they're elite, going on a 10-0 run, which was not how the Timberwolves wanted to start.
But that seemed to put a jolt into them.
UNBC stormed back with a 19-8 run to close out the first quarter and they didn't look back from that point onwards.
“We just needed to calm down and play our game,” UNBC's Alina Shakirova says of the late run in a news release. “It gave us confidence to keep pushing, and we kept at it. We had been playing their game, so Sergey wanted us to focus on what we do well.”
That momentum carried over into the second quarter, where UNBC took the second frame, which included Prince George's Madison Landry hitting a buzzer beater from 35 feet away, which gave the Timberwolves a 35-27 lead at the half.
The third quarter saw UNBC drop threes. Julia Gallant, Abby Gibb, and Maria Mongomo all sunk shots from downtown while the squad also played tight defence, allowing the Thunderbirds only 13 points in the third quarter and again, the Timberwolves hit a buzzer beater with a three-pointer courtesy of Gallant.
“It feels great to see those go in,” Shakirova adds. “It gives you energy. You just realize it is your day, and takes the air out of their sails. They don’t always go in, so to have it happen twice was great.”
Shakirova herself had a strong game, helping seal the win in the fourth frame where she converted three times from beyond the arc.
She finished with 16 points off the bench along with seven boards.
RECAP: What a game! Down 10-0 to start the game, @UNBCWomensBball claws all the way back and clinches a third consecutive @CanadaWest playoff berth with a 77-60 win over the @UBCWBBall! Read all about it! https://t.co/Llxl1kaZyy pic.twitter.com/c27Kq0v47o
— UNBC Athletics (@UNBCATHLETICS) January 25, 2019
Vasiliki Louka one again dominated, earning another double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
“We worked as a team today. We focused on our own jobs, and worked for the good of the team,” UNBC's Julia Gallant says. “We scouted them, and they’re a really good team. So we just wanted to stick to what we do best.”
It was a strong showing for the UNBC Timberwolves, who lost to the Thunderbirds in the 2016 playoffs and felt they had something to prove this time around.
“When we lost in playoffs to them in 2016, we immediately wanted to prove we could be competitive,” Shakirova says. “UBC is really strong, but we know we are good, as well.”
Both UNBC and UBC still have chances to host a first-round playoff game and the two teams will once again tip off in Vancouver tomorrow evening (Jan. 25) at 5 p.m.
“It feels great for our program. It is getting better and better, and people across the country are starting to learn who are,” Shakirova adds. “But, we want to take a big step further than last year. Our goal is not just to make playoffs, but to go further.”
