Lately, comebacks haven't been necessary.
The UNBC Northern Timberwolves showed they can still win in that manner.
Saturday afternoon in Victoria, the UNBC men's basketball team fell behind against the hot-shooting Camosun College Chargers but managed to pull out a 97-91 victory.
The T-wolves -- who have been running away from most of their opponents in the B.C. Colleges Athletic Association this season -- found themselves trailing the Chargers 55-43 at half-time and 63-46 in the third quarter. The Chargers were fully-deserving of their lead because, in the opening 20 minutes, they were 64 per cent effective from the field and shot 70 per cent from three-point territory.
But, the Timberwolves, by applying more defensive pressure in the second half, kept themselves within striking distance. Plays by guys like third-year guard Robert Rodriguez created Camosun turnovers and easy UNBC hoops. Then, a UNBC steal and huge dunk by fourth-year post Dennis Stark really turned the tide.
"That was a big momentum moment for us," said UNBC coach Todd Jordan. "The last two, three weeks, he's been attacking the rim hard. This weekend I was really happy with him. He played well inside and any time he got a bit of space to take off, he was trying to dunk the ball. It's nice when guys are playing aggressive like that."
The six-foot-four Stark finished with 13 points. UNBC guards Inderbir Gill (28 points), Sebastien-Kevin Louis (18 points) and Francis Rowe (15 points) also had big games.
Jordan wasn't surprised to see his team battle back for the win.
"These guys have been making comeback runs for years," he said with a laugh, in reference to a trend of the previous two seasons.
"With the shooters we've got, it's pretty tough to keep us out of a game completely. We can get going on a little bit of a run where we make some threes and we're quick enough defensively we can turn people over."
On Friday night, the Timberwolves had a much easier time with the Chargers and rolled to a 102-74 victory. The T-wolves are now on an eight-game winning streak and have an overall record of 13-2. In the BCCAA, they are in second place, behind the Vancouver Island University Mariners (14-1).
To clinch second place and a first-round bye in the playoffs, the Timberwolves need to win one of their final three games. They will visit the UBC Okanagan Heat of Kelowna on Saturday and will end the regular schedule with Feb. 18-19 home games against the Columbia Bible College Bearcats.
In weekend women's games, the Timberwolves saw an eight-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday when they fell 70-59 to the Chargers. Erin Beckett led UNBC with 16 points and Sarah Moxley had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
On Friday, UNBC dumped Camosun 77-59. In that one, Beckett scored a team-high 17 points and Jennifer Clyne hit for 14.
With the results, the Timberwolves now have an 11-4 record, good for third place in the 10-team BCCAA. They trail the Capilano University Blues (12-2) and the Vancouver Island University Mariners (12-3).
The UNBC women will also face the Heat Saturday in Kelowna.
