If the UNBC Timberwolves fall short of making the Canada West women's basketball playoffs, it won’t be for lack of effort from Vasiliki Louka.
The third-year forward played what has to rank as her best game yet wearing the green and gold, but it came in a losing cause Saturday at War Memorial Gym in Vancouver.
The T-wolves (6-12) dropped a close one, falling 76-72 to the high and mighty UBC Thunderbirds (14-4). Louka scored 30 of her team’s 72 points, had eight rebounds, five steals and was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line.
She scored 10 of her points in the fourth quarter as UNBC closed out the game on a 15-6 run. The T-wolves built a 16-6 lead from the opening tip-off and were in front for all but 30 seconds of the first half.
But the T-birds, loaded with fourth- and fifth-year talent, clawed their way back from a 44-36 deficit at halftime and came out firing with six unanswered points to make it close.
UNBC’s shooting went cold in the fourth quarter and the T-birds took off on an 11-point run for a 66-56 lead. UNBC, despite Loukas’s late-game heroics in the final two minutes, was unable to close the gap.
UBC forward Andrea Sturjic struck for 15 points and Jessica Hanson collected 13. Maria Mongomo hit double figures for UNBC with 21 points and had seven rebounds.
The T-birds improved their fourth-place Canada West record, while the T-wolves are clinging to the 12th and final playoff spot, one win ahead of the 13th-place Lethbridge Pronghorns (5-13).
UNBC – trying to make playoffs for the first time at the Canada West level – will finish the regular season with two games at home this weekend against Saskatchewan (13-5), while Lethbridge also faces a tough opponent in a two-game set in Edmonton against Alberta (15-3).
The UNBC men suffered a 109-61 defeat at the hands of the T-birds Saturday, after a 48-point loss (123-75) to UBC on Friday. Facing the most potent offence in the U Sports Canada West conference, UNBC jumped ahead by 12 points in the first quarter Saturday and led 21-15 after 10 minutes but UBC started finding the net in the second quarter and took a 37-33 lead into the half. The T-birds outscored UNBC 32-17 in the third quarter and 40-11 in the final frame.
UBC veteran Jordan Jensen-Whyte had 24 points and Conor Morgan put up 20 for the T-birds. Rhys Elliott was the big gun for the Timberwolves with 23 points, while Vaggelis Loukas contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds, eight of which came in the defensive half of the court.
The T-birds (17-1) have won nine straight games and have clinched first pace in the Canada West standings. UNBC (4-12) is out of playoff contention.
The T-wolves finish out the season this weekend against the Saskatchewan Huskies (12-4, fourth place).
