Box Score KELOWNA, B.C. - After falling down 12 points to start the game, the UBC Okanagan Heat women's basketball team battled back but ultimately came up short falling 76-67 to the UNBC Timberwolves on Saturday at The Furance.
Despite the loss, Jaeli Ibbetson, from Kelowna, B.C. had one of her best performances in a Heat uniform as she posted an impressive double-double of 17 points and 16 rebounds. She also dished out a career-best five assists and had four blocks, which is the second-most of any Heat player in program history. The third-year forward also grabbed a pair of steals and went 12-of-14 from the free throw line.
Ibbetson is one of only three Heat players to make 12 free throws in a game. Tonight's performance was her third time recording such a feat.
Aiko Williams, a product of North Vancouver, B.C., had a career-high 15 points going 5-of-6 from deep. After making her first five shots from beyond the arc, Williams had a chance to tie a program record with six made threes, but her attempt would dramatically rattle out. She joins a group of three players to make five threes in a game.
For UNBC, it was their Russian duo who stole the show once again in Alina Shakirova and Svetlana Boykova. Shakirova recorded 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals as UNBC snapped their five-game losing skid. Boykova had team-highs in points with 16 and rebounds with nine.
The Timberwolves took advantage of the paint, outscoring the Heat 40-20 inside the key.
Missing from the Heat lineup was UBCO's leading rebounder Kelsey Falk, who was coming off a 20-point performance a night prior.
While the Heat take the season series against UNBC, two games to one, the loss drops them to 6-7 on the year. UNBC's first win of 2022 sees them improve to 5-6.
Head Coach Bobby Mitchell praised his team's efforts despite the loss going up against a tough opponent three games in a row.
"These last three games we have learned a lot about ourselves and we continue to grow as a group. Today, we showed a lot of fight after a poort start that we can build off of moving forward. We are excited to get back to work on Monday and begin preparing for another tough opponent in the [Trinity Western] Spartans."
The Heat are back in action next weekend as they make a trip to Langley, B.C. to take on the aforementioned Spartans in a pair of road games. Catch the action on CanadaWest.tv presented by Co-op.
