On a cloudy Thursday night, the UBC women’s basketball team stormed to victory against the University of Fraser Valley Cascades in their season opening game.
In the first quarter, Emily Martindale opened the scoring with a jumper in the paint. UBC capitalized on this momentum and tore the Cascades’ defence apart, leading 18–12 when the whistle blew. Keira Daly scored a succession of four quick points, driving through the defence and establishing the T-Birds' aggressive offensive approach.
UBC was particularly clinical on offensive rebounds, going 13–6 compared to UFV in the quarter. UFV looked lost in the first quarter — they couldn’t generate momentum or capitalize on chances. Both teams were equal on turnovers, but when it came down to converting on the counterattack, UBC emerged victorious.
The second quarter was a testament to the well-oiled and coordinated Thunderbird defence. The players continued the hard work from the last quarter to prevent Cascades’ Bernie Leda and Maddy Gobeil from combining offensively. The defence in the paint was exceptional as the T-Birds cracked down upon potentially dangerous moves and extended their lead to an 11-point gap.
UFV grew frustrated as the game slipped away from them and, although they committed frustration fouls, they began to work well together, fighting back with fast break turnovers for a threatening counterattack.
With their newfound momentum, UFV began to bridge the gap in the third quarter gaining confidence from the fast break points. Leda looked unstoppable, paving the way for UFV’s comeback. The competition was neck and neck, as the Cascades tightened their defence and the T-Birds had some trouble converting.
UBC regained their composure in the fourth quarter and displayed offensive variety which allowed them to regain their confidence. UFV committed more fouls, but the game ran away from them as UBC scored 30 points to finish the game at 80–58.
Steaming ahead with a 22-point lead, the Thunderbirds seem to be having a confident, composed and coordinated start to this season. Mona Berlitz had a commendable all-round effort, topping the scoreboard with 21 points and completing 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Additionally, Daly and Olivia Weekes scored 17 and 16 points, respectively, to keep the Cascades at bay.
Furthermore, UBC scored 25 second chance points compared to UFV’s measly 5, showing their commitment to offensive rebounds throughout the game. Their height advantage and aggression allowed them to exhibit dominance in the paint and their ball rotation was swift and organized, creating more opportunities than their opponents.
The win was part of the Thunderbirds' strong start to their season, sitting tied for first place in Canada West after the weekend.
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