In a turnover-heavy 87-71 win on Friday against Mount Royal University, the T-Birds were able to utilize their height advantage and deliver 50 points in the paint before returning to War Memorial on Saturday to bring down Evergreen State College 119-76.
Friday, fourth-year guard Jordan Jensen-Whyte brought much needed backcourt command. He shot 8-8 from the field and racked up 21 points along with seven rebounds during his team-leading 29 minutes of play.
With this year’s team losing experienced key players Tonner Jackson and Tommy Nixon, an offensive recalibration was the story of the preseason.
“I'm' trying to get to the basket as often as I can because it creates good things,” said Jensen-Whyte. “We got to focus and keep going. We’re confident in our shooters and today was a little bit of a down day, but it’s not going to be like that all the time.”
By the end of the first half, UBC led 37-32 before outpacing the Cougars and slowly climbing to a 16 point surplus. Despite conceding 19 turnovers due to a frantic half court offense, the Birds’ strong rebounding allowed them to steadily outscore MRU by five and six points in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.
Notably, Dominic Gilbert was a threat from beyond the arc. He netted 12 of his 14 points from deep. As a first-year player, the team can only hope he improves upon his already impressive performance.
On Saturday night, the Thunderbirds played much more confidently and coordinately. From the first quarter, the Birds established a 20 point lead. They sustained this lead until halftime and sat comfortably at a score of 55-35. By forcing long three’s on defence and dominating in the paint, UBC commanded Evergreen’s offensive tempo. The T-Bird bench proved deep with a major contribution of 64 points, Luka Zaharijevic scored four buckets in the first half alone.
The game-changing factor came from UBC’s height advantage, where Evergreen simply could not stop forwards Zaharijevic and David Wagner. By the end of the third, UBC led Evergreen State 93-51.
The fourth quarter was played entirely by the Thunderbirds’ second-string players who managed to hold that remarkable lead. With 66 points in the paint and some killer three point personnel to boot, UBC trounced the competition 119-76.
Coach Hanson and his squad prepare for a double header next weekend. Zaharijevic explained that the key to winning is “defence number one, transition [offense] and also just practicing hard. We’re going into every weekend with the mindset to not only win, but to give our best.”
The 'Birds will take on the University of Alberta November 6 and 7 at War Memorial Gym for their Canada West opener.