VANCOUVER - The UBC Okanagan Heat women's basketball team grabbed their first ever win in War Memorial Gym Friday night thanks to a staunch defensive outing, taking the matchup 70-53 against sister-school UBC Thunderbirds.

Jaeli Ibbetson, a Kelowna, B.C. product, got the Heat out in front early, making three three-pointers in quick succession as part of her 11 first-quarter points. She would finish the match with a team-high 18 points, sitting just 23 points shy of UBCO's single-season scoring record with three games remaining.
  Heat guard Sofia Ainsa Lluch, from Mahon, Spain, become the first Heat athlete to reach the 10-assist mark in a single game with four helpers in the fourth quarter to give her an even 10 in the contest.

The Heat shot a season-best .533 percent from beyond the arc in the win, while firing at .450 percent from the floor.

Heat Head Coach Bobby Mitchell, spoke of his team's defensive performance post-game saying, " we had a focus on defence over the last two weeks and tonight I was proud of our team's consistency and commitment on the defensive side of the ball. It was a true team effort."

Kelowna, B.C. product and Okanagan Mission graduate Stella Lagrange provided a much-needed spark for the T-Birds on both ends of the floor, grabbing three rebounds and two steals while adding an assist.

TOP PERFORMERS
Lauren Foullong - UBCO
The second-year wing from Kelowna, B.C., shot the lights off the ball with a career-high tying 14 points. Her back-to-back-to-back threes in the fourth quarter iced the game for the Heat as she finished the night going 4-of-6 from deep.
  Hailey Counsell - UBC
The 'Birds' lone double-digit scorer recorded 17 points in the loss as she shot 5-of-14 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe. The fourth year also grabbed three rebounds and two steals.

WHERE THEY SIT
The Heat's third win in their last four matchups between the two schools sees their record improve back over .500 sitting at 9-8. A win tomorrow and a Lethbridge Pronghorns or UNBC Timberwolves loss will see UBCO clinch a playoff spot and make their second-consecutive post-season appearance.

UBC's loss sees their record fall to 9-6.

As it sits right now, the sister schools are set to play each other in the first round of the Canada West playoffs.

UP NEXT
The two teams rematch tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. from War Memorial Gym. Catch the action on Canada West TV.