VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds continued their hot start to 2025 as they took down the UNBC Timberwolves 97-47 to earn their second win by 40-plus points in as many days. Third-year forward Mona Berlitz gripped the wheel for UBC, tallying a game-high 26 points en route to the commanding victory which saw the ‘Birds improve to 10-1 on the Canada West season.
 
The first quarter saw a lot of back-and-forth, and stout defence from both teams. After the Timberwolves scored the game’s first points it was the hosts who quickly responded with a 13-2 run, highlighted by catch-and-shoot three from team captain Olivia Weekes. UNBC fought back, lowering the deficit to just three before the T-Birds caught a spark, scoring the next 12 unanswered. As the frame was coming to a close, Weekes beat the buzzer from under the basket to close out the first with a 27-14 advantage for her team.

 

Second-year guard Maddy Billings began the second frame with a three-pointer which was followed by fifth-year forward Jessica Clarke connecting for three-straight scores, all from the painted area, to garner a 20-point lead. The T-Birds followed up their efficient offence with dominating defence, highlighted by third-year guard Cerys Merton, who seemed to be everywhere at once on the court as she tallied three steals in the frame.

 

“She’s the heart of our defence in a lot of ways,” said UBC Head Coach Isabel Ormond. “That energy gives us momentum to play in the full court and play at pace on both ends.”

 

As the T-Bird lead swelled to 31 points, with under three minutes to go in the first half, second-year UNBC guard, Viktoriia Filatova took it upon herself to try and get her team back in this one, sinking three consecutive three-pointers, as her squad closed out the half down 53-29.

 

Coming out of the break, the T-Birds did not let up. They began the third with a 15-3 run in the opening five minutes and did not look back. Both their offence and defence continued to work as a well-oiled machine, closing out the frame with a 44-point advantage. The ‘Birds carried their momentum into the fourth, creating a dominant presence on the boards and in the paint, eventually walking away with the 97-47 win.

 

The T-Birds controlled many aspects of this game, especially on defence. By halftime, the ‘Birds notched 12 steals and kept up that pace for the rest of the game, ending with 25 total steals. The same intensity was applied to rebounding, UBC finished with 50 total boards — 17 of which were on the offensive end — to UNBC’s 24.

 

“We kept taking care of details for us. It’s easy to take your foot off the gas and stop working on things you need to work on,” added Ormond. “We kept paying attention to details, and still some things we have to clean up.”

 

Standout performances came from multiple Thunderbirds in the total team win. On top of her 26 points, Berlitz added seven rebounds and four assists, while Weekes was one rebound shy of a double-double, ending with 12 points and nine rebounds. Merton took charge of the defensive end, finishing with five points, four rebounds, six assists and six steals.

 

“What stood up for me is, yes, the five steals, but she also balanced that with six assists, so now she’s actually creating off of those steals as well, which I think is kind of that next step,” concluded Ormond.

 

UNBC Timberwolves’ Filatova closed out with a team-high 18 points of her own on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor and hitting 50 percent from beyond the arc.

 

WBB | @UBCWBBall earned a convincing 97-47 win over the UNBC Timberwolves on Saturday, improving to 10-1 on the @CanadaWest season.

5th-year forward Jessica Clarke made her presence felt in the paint, totalling 16 points & adding 5 rebounds. Clarke on what worked well!

: pic.twitter.com/vqGw9WOX3h

— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) January 12, 2025

Next week will see a matchup between two of Canada West’s top teams. The conference-leading UBC Thunderbirds welcome the second-place University of Fraser Valley Cascades to War Memorial Gymnasium for a two-game series. Tipoff for game one is scheduled for January 17 at 5:30 p.m. PT.