WINNIPEG – The No. 4 nationally-ranked UBC Thunderbirds scored 50 points in the paint and went on three important runs – 10-0 in the second quarter, 8-0 in the third and 14-2 late in the fourth – as they exorcised some demons in an 87-79 win over the No. 7 ranked Manitoba Bisons.
It was one year ago that the T-Birds were upset in the quarterfinals of the Canada West Playoff Tournament (hosted by Manitoba) by UNBC. With a veteran roster that returned all but a few players from that team, motivation was high to make it back to the Canada West Final for the first time in five years.
Fareed Shittu continued his fantastic playoff run with 20 points, 14 rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Four other T-Birds scored double figures, including
Nikola Guzina who notched 16 and
Tobi Akinkunmi who filled the stat sheet with 12 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and two blocks.
"Last year, we lost and it was heartbreaking and painful," said Shittu. "I think this year everybody kind of took us lightly. 'They're hosting nationals, they won't go as far.' But we earned our way. We proved them wrong."
Mason Kraus led the way for the Bisons with 23 points, eight boards and eight assists, while Cieran O'Hara recorded 12 points and nine rebounds before fouling out.
The two teams were quite difficult to separate in the first half, tied at 21 each after the first quarter and the T-Birds holding a slim 42-41 advantage at the end of the second.
The Bisons were on fire from the outside early on, hitting five three-pointers in the opening frame.
Micah Jessie responded with two big triples – one from each corner – to help bring his team level before the first ten minutes expired.
Manitoba scored the first seven points of the second, but Guzina and Shittu combined to score the next 10 as the Thunderbirds put themselves right back into things.
Victor Radocaj also scored six points in the frame, as the T-Birds' imposing frontcourt trio combined for 18 points and 10 rebounds in the second quarter alone.
An
Adam Olsen triple stretched UBC's lead to 12 points early in the third, but the Bisons kept fighting to keep things within striking distance. They held the 'Birds scoreless for the final two minutes of the quarter, witling the deficit to seven and setting up a dramatic finish.
Kraus began the fourth with a deep triple to cut UBC's lead to 65-62 at the start of the frame, and shortly after, he banked another three off the window. One possession later, Manitoba forced a travel, and Brandt Lenz got to the line to give Manitoba their first lead of the second half, 67-66 with seven minutes to play.
Olsen responded with a layup, but Lenz made it five in a row with a corner three, forcing a UBC timeout with 6:37 to go, down 70-68. The timeout reaped rewards for the T-Birds in the following five minutes, who went on a 14-2 run that proved to be the difference.
Three Shittu rebounds on a single possession in the middle of that run eventually led to a putback dunk and-one, which increased the visitors' lead to 78-70 and the T-Birds didn't look back from there.
"We put in that work, on and off the court multiple times a week. Our coaches push us to be aggressive," Shittu added. "We try to practice harder than the game so when we get to the game, we can keep that same aggression."
The T-Birds will now host Calgary for the Canada West championship next weekend at home, following the Dinos' upset victory over UVic in the other semifinal. Manitoba will travel to play Victoria with a shot at nationals still on the line in the bronze medal game.
UBC and Calgary played each other twice in the regular season back in November, splitting the weekend series at War Memorial Gym. The gold medal game will take place at 7:30 p.m. (PT) on Friday, March 7th.
