EDMONTON - The UBC Okanagan Heat women's basketball team fell to the USPORTS No. 8-ranked Alberta Pandas with a final score of 68-57 on Friday at the Saville Community Sports Centre.
Lily Pink led the way for the Heat with 16 points, showcasing her shooting skills with a 53.8 field goal percentage.
Tennyson McCarthy had an efficient game, scoring 12 points while hitting 75 percent of her field goal attempts and adding five rebounds.
Kelsey Falk was a defensive force, leading the team with four steals, which was a 24-25 season high for her.
For the Pandas, Annacy Palmer contributed significantly with 14 points, highlighted by her six successful free throws and three blocks. Kiah Easton-Ihediohanma was effective from beyond the arc, making three out of four 3-point attempts, contributing nine points total. Morgan Harris led the team in scoring with 15 points, shooting 55.6 percent from the field and converting five of six free throws. She also added two steals.
The first quarter of the game was a closely contested affair, ending with Alberta leading 22-21. The Heat started strong with consecutive layups by Pink and
Abby Smith, giving them an early 4-0 lead. The Pandas responded with a series of free throws, narrowing the gap and eventually taking the lead. Both teams alternated scoring throughout the quarter, highlighted by a 3-pointer from
Tsuki Tsuzuki at the 2:00 mark. The quarter concluded with Alberta's Palmer securing a defensive rebound, but missing a last-second 3-pointer attempt, maintaining their slim one-point advantage.
In the second,
Aiko Williams of the Heat connected on a 3-pointer at 7:25 to even the score at 24-24, but Alberta responded with multiple layups by Jayden Tanner and Palmer, pushing their team to a 38-30 lead by the end of the quarter. UBCO struggled to convert their opportunities, shooting 4-for-19, while Alberta capitalized on points in the paint, scoring 14 in the quarter.
The third quarter saw intense back-and-forth action between UBCO and Alberta, with the Pandas slightly outscoring the Heat 15-14. Early in the quarter, a 3-pointer by
Lily Pink reduced the Pandas' lead to five points early on. Annacy Palmer of the Pandas responded with a series of successful layups, contributing significantly to Alberta's scoring. Despite strong defensive rebounds by the Heat, Alberta's Harris capitalized on free throw opportunities, extending the Pandas' lead. The quarter ended with
Kelsey Falk's assist leading to a layup by
Tennyson McCarthy, solidifying a competitive stance for the Heat.
In the fourth quarter, Alberta began to pull away thanks to key baskets from Claire Signatovich and Easton-Ihediohanma who hit a three-pointer to give the Pandas a 16-point cushion. UBCO's
Kiana Kaczur then sparked a late rally, contributing five points, capped by a free throw to bring the score to 53-66. Despite Kaczur's efforts, Alberta maintained control, ultimately winning the quarter 15-13 and the game with a final score of 68-57.
The win sees the Pandas improve to 9-2 on the season while the Heat drop to 3-8.
The two teams will close out their weekend doubleheader on Saturday, January 18 when they rematch at 4 p.m. Pacific. Fans can catch the game live on CanadaWest.tv presented by BioSteel.
