If the UNBC Timberwolves were looking for a measuring stick to show how much they’ve improved from last season, they got their answer on the hardcourt Saturday at the Northern Sport Centre.
Looking for their first win of the U Sports Canada West Conference women’s basketball season, the T-wolves pushed the undefeated University of Alberta Pandas to the bitter end, losing an action-packed overtime thriller, 82-80.
Maddie Rogers, a fifth-year guard from Calgary, proved unstoppable in the five-minute extra session, scoring eight of the Pandas’ 13 points in OT, including a layup on an in-bound play which all but cinched the victory with 22.6 seconds left.
“Our team was struggling at the beginning, UNBC came out really strong, they were hitting shots, playing good defence and our team just kind of stuck together and we were able to hit shots when it mattered,” said Rogers, who shot a game-high 23 points.
“That was a huge win for us, especially being young. We’ve had trouble in the preseason trying to finish out games and UNBC gave us a scare, that’s for sure, but we pulled one out in the end and that’s good to see.”
The win kept the Pandas (4-0) tied with Winnipeg atop the Canada West standings. UNBC (0-4) remains winless. The Pandas won Friday’s game 78-65.
Rogers went 6-for-13 from the field and was near-perfect from the free-throw line, hitting nine out of 10. The Pandas made 30 of 38 foul shots.
“Maddie took over in overtime and just led us to a win,” said Pandas head coach Scott Edwards. “It’s a new role for her having to be that lead scorer and kind of that primary offensive player and you saw the composure she had in overtime, hitting those two big threes. She played the last 15 minutes with four fouls.”
UNBC guard Maria Mongomo, back in the groove that made her a CIS all-star last year, seemed to get stronger whenever it appeared the T-wolves were about to let the game slip away. She put up 22 points and had eight rebounds, 10 assists and six steals, by far her best game so far this season.
“We played very good as a team but we didn’t get the result we wanted,” said Mongomo. “But it’s OK, we will continue to work as a team and I know we can get great things. Today, I’m very proud of my team. It gives us confidence, but we know we still have to improve many things.”
The T-wolves also got their money’s worth out of third-year post Vasiliki Louka, who collected 18 points before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.
“It’s progress, not only from last night’s game but from last season to this season,” said T-wolves head coach Sergey Shchepotkin. “Last year we just came and didn’t want to lose (by) a lot and now we are looking to win. I’m happy we’ve matured and have become stronger and tougher. The girls are starting to believe they are a good team.
“I’m so happy that it was three times in the game they got us back (and took the lead) and we didn’t give up, we continued to get leadership and that’s a big positive sign.”
The Pandas trailed until the 6:15 mark of the third quarter, when they finally tied it 39-39, but that did not last long. UNBC forward Stacey Graham struck twice from three-point land, sending UNBC on an 11-0 run and they were ahead 50-39 just before three-quarter time. Graham, a pure shooter who struggled to find her stride after leg surgery three years ago, hit six of eight trey attempts and finished with 19 points.
The Pandas, who led for only about five of the first 40 minutes, went on a 7-0 run to start the fourth quarter to go up 51-50. The lead changed hands seven more times before the dust finally settled.
It took a dramatic bucket with a half-second left from UNBC rookie Madison Landry to force overtime. Landry, a Duchess Park graduate, was left all alone under the Alberta net when Mongomo unleashed a bullet pass from three-quarters of the court away and Landry was cool under pressure, making it count with a layup.
The T-wolves began overtime without one of their best shooters, Louka, on the bench. But Mongomo took her team on her shoulders and came close to pulling off what would have been a huge upset. The T-wolves struggled to a 3-17 season in 2015-16. If Saturday’s game is any indication, they will win their share of games before the current season ends in February.
