Post Season Issue 2014 SOLID SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON ENDS WITH EARLY PLAY-OFF EXIT After finishing the first half of the and pulling in 10 rebounds in the 2013-14 season with a 7-3 record, 67-55 victory. Saturday’s rematch the ‘Birds were excited to get back was marked by a feisty comeback to action after the Christmas break on the part of the hometown with a team training camp in Santa Cougars, who wiped a 19-point Barbara, California. The team deficit to single digits in the fourth trained out of Westmount College, quarter. UBC held on for a 67-59 combining on-court practices with win, with Young recording her off-court strength and conditioning second straight double-double (20 sessions, all of which was made points, 11 rebounds), and Sidhu significantly easier by the warm adding 19 points of her own. The outdoor training environment! next weekend UBC played host to After mixing in beach volleyball the UNBC Timberwolves and sessions and ringing in the New comfortably took both games of Year with the Lakers at the the double-header, winning 79-58 Staples Centre, UBC took on last on Friday and 85-58 on Saturday. year’s NAIA National Champion Both games were highlighted with Westmount College in an greater contributions from more exhibition game on January 2nd. players, with the bench accounting The week of training and team- for 30 points and all players hitting building translated into on-court the score sheet in Saturday’s success, as the T-Birds defeated game. UBC hit the road again to Westmount 68-56. The following Adrienne Parkin wrap up the month of January, weekend marked one of the with a swing trip to Lethbridge and toughest home weekends of the season, as UBC Calgary. Friday’s match-up against the Pronghorns played host to Alberta and Saskatchewan, who were was a close affair throughout, with UBC’s defense ranked #3 and #4 respectively. UBC struggled to making the difference down the stretch. UBC scored convert in Friday night’s 56-47 loss to the Pandas, 29 points off 19 steals en route to the 68-55 victory. shooting 35% overall and only 16% from three. Sidhu led the way with 20 points, while Knievel, Harleen Sidhu pulled in 2014’s first double-double Young and Adrienne Parkin added 15 points apiece. with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Kris Young UBC hopped on the bus to head back to Calgary for added 14 points. UBC rebounded to come out of the Saturday’s game, a match-up with big play-off gates strong on Saturday, holding Canada West’s implications. It was another tight contest, with no highest scoring team to only seven points in the team gaining a lead larger than seven over the opening frame. Saskatchewan found their scoring course of the 40 minutes. The Dinos had a look at a touch as the game went on, and led by nine with just three-point shot to tie the game in the dying seconds, three minutes left. UBC mounted a frenzied but UBC held on to the 56-53 victory, and in doing so, comeback, with Cassandra Knievel hitting her first helped Coach Deb Huband earn her 400th career three of the night in the dying minutes to pull within win, making her one of the winningest coaches in CIS two; Cherub Lum stole the ensuing inbounds pass history. UBC was back at home the following and Knievel missed an off-balance shot to tie as the weekend to take on their Okanagan counter-parts, buzzer sounded. Young was the only double-digit the UBC-O Heat. UBC’s bench was once again a big scorer in the 55-53 loss, notching 24 points. UBC factor in the game, counting for 34 of the team’s 83 travelled to Calgary the following weekend to take on points. 3rd year forward Stephanie Bell scored 13 the Mount Royal Cougars in a double-header series. points on 6-8 shooting and added seven rebounds in Young once again led the ‘Birds, scoring 27 points 16 minutes of play. Sidhu added another double- double to her yearly total, grabbing 14 rebounds to go Championship T-Birds. UBC enjoyed a bye week along with her team-leading 20 points. Although the before hosting the Saskatchewan Huskies on the ‘Birds’ offensive output slowed down in Saturday’s final weekend of February in a best-of-three series rematch, their defence held strong once again, that would see the winner move on to the Canada holding the Heat to 55 points en route to the 13-point West Final Four. In a similar style to the January win. UBC dominated the glass with a 51-30 margin, match-up between the two teams, UBC’s defense got and Sidhu and Young once again led the scoring with off to a smothering start, holding the Huskies to just 21 and 20 points, respectively. In what is developing six points in the first quarter. The defensive intensity into a trend, UBC faced off against their Pacific rivals remained constant over the next three quarters, with from Victoria in the final league games of the season, the home team forcing 19 Saskatchewan turnovers in what would ultimately determine which team and allowing no player to score more than 10 points earned the right to host a Canada West quarter-final, on their way to the 57-47 win. Young once again had and which team would be on the road for the first a double-double, with 16 points and 13 rebounds, round of play-offs. UBC travelled across the Strait for while Sidhu added 16 and Parkin 11. Saturday’s Friday’s game and two hot-shooting teams squared rematch was another low-scoring affair, with the off in a high-scoring affair. UBC’s offense exploded home team unfortunately coming out on the losing for a 28-19 advantage after the first, but the Vikes end. UBC was drastically outplayed on the boards, found their groove in the second, holding UBC to 12 giving up a 49-30 advantage to the Huskies, and points while scoring 24 of their own. The hot hands struggled to find its offense, with only Sidhu (17) and stayed for the night, with UBC and UVIC each Sundberg (10) hitting the double-digit mark. The shooting 56 per cent from beyond the arc, but it was series was decided in a rare Sunday game, with both the home team who took game one 85-73. Young led teams scoring early and often. Despite counting only the ‘Birds with 22 points, while Maggie Sundberg nine turnovers and dishing out 22 assists, UBC once and Knievel combined for nine made three-pointers again had a huge disadvantage on the glass, to count for 16 and 20 points, respectively. allowing Saskatchewan to double them up 54-27. Saturday’s contest was a must-win for both teams Saskatchewan took an unprecedented number of and a back-and-forth affair through three quarters free throws on the night, scoring 33 points from the culminated in a 21-10 final frame in UBC’s favour, charity stripe, and went 24-26 in the second half resulting in a 79-69 victory. UBC was clutch from the alone on their way to winning the third and deciding free throw line down the stretch, going 11-14 in the game of the series. Despite having a disappointing fourth quarter alone to seal the win. Young had a finish to the season, UBC does not lose any players monster night for the ‘Birds, scoring 30 points and and look forward to coming in a more experienced grabbing 12 rebounds. Sidhu added 20 points and and driven team next year. nine rebounds on a night that also recognized the 10- Year anniversary of the 2003-04 CIS National 2003-04 CIS CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM CELEBRATES 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY UBC’s final home game of the season also marked a special night for many of its former players, who came out to celebrate the 10- year anniversary of the 2003-04 National Championship team. That group captured UBC’s first women’s basketball title in 30 years, and included three players who would go on to win two more titles for UBC in their five-year career, two CIS National Championship tournament MVP’s, four CIS All-Canadians, 10 Academic All-Canadians and three players who went on to play for Canada. UBC Women’s Basketball is proud of the accomplishments of these players both during their time at UBC and in their pursuits after graduation. We look forward to several more 10-year reunion celebrations in the upcoming years! THUNDERBIRDS RECOGNIZED WITH CANADA WEST AND CIS AWARDS Harleen Sidhu Jaime Hills Kris Young Jaime Hills Three members of the UBC Women’s Basketball team were recognized for their on and off-court achievements when Canada West announced its conference award winners in March. Second-year guard Jaime Hills was named as the conference’s top choice for the Sylvia Sweeney Award, which recognizes excellence in the areas of basketball, academics and community involvement. Jaime has been an outstanding role model in the area of community in particular, and has participated in and organized countless activities and fundraisers. Since 2009, she has organized an annual event for underprivileged children (ages 4-11) at Vancouver's Strathcona Community Centre, which includes a basketball camp, brunch, Christmas presents and a visit with Santa Claus. Last May, she and 11 other members of UBC Athletics travelled to San Vincente, El Salvador as part of Habitat for Humanity's Global Village Program and spent two weeks helping build homes for needy families.