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Watson’s perfect first half powers No. 2 UBC to win over Bisons
WINNIPEG - The no. 2 ranked UBC Thunderbirds (7-) capped off a
perfect first half to the regular season with a 93-75 victory over
the Manitoba Bisons (3-6) at the Investors Group Athletic Centre in
Winnipeg.
Saturday's victory saw a typically ferocious UBC defence control
the first half while the T-Birds offence had five players hit
double figures as UBC shot in excess of 52.0% (37-of-71) from the
field for the second straight game.
UBC never trailed and it was the biggest half of Kyle Watson's UBC
career that staked them to a 48-28 advantage at the break.
Watson, a fifth-year forward, was a perfect 9-of-9 from the field
for 18 points in the first 20 minutes before finishing the game
with 20 points and seven rebounds.
Back-to-back layups by Watson with just over three minutes left in
the first quarter gave UBC an 18-9 lead and the T-Birds maintained
that nine point cushion through the first quarter. The
fifth-year added three quick buckets midway through the second to
give UBC a 37-22 advantage and then he capped off the half with the
T-Birds last two buckets.
Behind Watson's perfect shooting performance, UBC was a combined
21-of-35 (60.0%) from the field while the Bisons were just 9-of-28
(32.1%).
If the first half belonged to Watson, it was Nathan Yu that shined
the brightest over the final two quarters, going 5-of-6 from the
field including a trio three-pointers in the fourth quarter.
The third year shooting guard came off the bench to lead UBC
with 21 points.
Starters Josh Whyte (18), Kamar Burke (11), and Blain LaBranche
(10) also hit double figures with Burke pulling down a game-high 12
rebounds. UBC dominated the glass against the undersized
Bisons, out rebounding the hosts 54-28.
Former T-Bird Sean Maxwell led the Bisons with 24 points on
10-of-17 shooting and he was 4-of-10 from behind the arc. The
Bisons settled for a number of long range attempts, finishing
10-of-34 on the night from three-point land.
The victory improves UBC's record to 7-0 and with SFU's loss to
Lethbridge on Friday, the T-Birds are alone atop the Pacific
Division.
The reigning CIS silver medalists might also find themselves atop
the CIS Top 10 this week as no. 1 Carleton suffered their first
loss of the season on Friday, a 76-73 setback to the Lakehead
Thunderwolves.
UBC last held the no. 1 overall CIS ranking last year, for just one
week, but this time they could top the poll for the next six, as
league play across the country essentially comes to end on
Sunday.
The T-Birds opens the second half of their regular season with a
four-game homestand beginning on January 8 and 9 as they welcome
the Regina Cougars and Brandon Bobcats to War Memorial Gym.
Source:
Ben Schach
UBC Sports Information Director
