Box Score The UBC Thunderbirds women's basketball team (9-11) took matters into their own hands on Saturday night, guaranteeing themselves a spot in the Canada West playoffs with an 86-38 win over the Winnipeg Wesmen (8-12).
Diana Lee paced the club with 18 points, adding six rebounds and three assists. Adrienne Parkin notched a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double, while also picking up three assists.
Forward Kara Spotton and guards Shilpa Khanna and Jessica Hanson all hit double digits in scoring, with the former putting up 14, and the latter two putting up 12 apiece.
Guard
Megan Noonan provided more than half of Winnipeg's offence with a 20-point performance.
Faith Hezekiah grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
The 'Birds came out flying in the opening minutes of the contest. Lee and Parkin led the charge in the early going, each netting four points as the 'Birds jumped out to a 15-6 lead just over six minutes into the game.
The T-Birds' high-pressure defending forced Winnipeg to try several low-percentage shots over that same stretch, leading the Winnipeg coaching staff to call a timeout.
The call didn't do much to alter the run of play, as the 'Birds closed the frame on an 8-2 run to take a 23-8 advantage into the break.
The rookie Hanson ended up leading the T-Birds in scoring over the opening 10 minutes, as the 5-foot-9 guard hit on both of her attempts from beyond the arc, totalling six points.
The T-Birds just continued to pour it on coming out of the intermission, with triples from Hanson and Khanna providing the highlights of their 16-3 run over the quarter's first five minutes.
Parkin, a 6-foot forward, showed off her range at the buzzer, putting up a last-second three that found nothing but net, putting the 'Birds up by a remarkable margin of 49-15 at the half.
Lee put on a bit of a show, knocking down three straight buckets for the 'Birds in the middle of the third frame. Up 55-19, the Handsworth Secondary alumna first rained down a picture-perfect three-ball. Seconds later, Lee showed off her quick hands by stealing an inbounds pass and putting home the easy layup. Lee capped off the run with another triple for good measure.
By the end of the third, the scoreboard read 72-23 for the 'Birds.
After Hanson opened the fourth with a triple for UBC, Winnipeg went on a 6-0 run.
Noonan and
Kaelei Knutson scored a field goal each, with Noonan adding a pair of free throws. She finished the night with nine successful foul shots on 15 opportunities.
The electric offence the 'Birds displayed will take up most headlines, but their defence was equally as spectacular, as they held Winnipeg to just 11-of-54 shooting, with the Wesmen knocking down just 1-of-18 attempts from downtown.
