The UNBC Northern Timberwolves are bringing bronze home from provincials.
The UNBC women's basketball team beat the favoured Vancouver Island University Mariners 62-54 in Saturday's bronze-medal game at the B.C. Colleges Athletic Association provincial championship tournament in Abbotsford. The Timberwolves controlled the first quarter and found themselves in a 17-9 lead after the first 10 minutes. At half-time, they still led, 30-26.
In the third quarter, UNBC forced VIU players into a string of turnovers and pushed the lead to 50-36. The Mariners tried to fight back in the fourth quarter but the T-wolves always had an answer and were sharp from the free-throw line as time ticked down .
The Timberwolves got 14 points and four steals from rookie guard Jenn Knibbs, 12 points from fourth-year post player Erin Beckett and 11 points out of the hands of second-year guard Mercedes Van Koughnett.
Katie Pearson led the Mariners with 14 points.
The Timberwolves were seeded fourth for provincials and the Mariners, from Nanaimo, were No. 2.
The Timberwolves started the tournament with a 65-62 Thursday win against the Camosun College Chargers and then lost 74-58 to the Capilano University Blues in a Friday semifinal.
On Monday, see The Citizen and pgcitizen.ca for more.
