KELOWNA, B.C. — The UBCO women's basketball team (6-5) upset the U SPORTS No. 8-ranked UBC Thunderbirds (5-4) with a tight 68-67 victory at the UBCO Gymnasium on Saturday, overcoming an early 16-point deficit in the first quarter. 

The Heat clinched the win with a strong second quarter, outscoring the Thunderbirds by seven points and capitalizing on 21 made free throws.

Kanani Coon led the Heat with 15 points, including a 3-pointer, and added three steals. Tsuki Tsuzuki scored 12 points, hitting all four of her free throw attempts. Lily Pink contributed 11 points, pulled down five rebounds, and recorded five steals. Aiko Williams chipped in nine points, including one from beyond the arc, and collected five rebounds.

In her return to UBCO, former Heat star Jaeli Ibbetson topped the Thunderbirds with 13 points, shooting 5-for-11 from the field and adding two steals. Olivia Weekes recorded a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, with four of those rebounds on the offensive end. 

UBCO struggled to contain the Thunderbirds' offence in the first quarter as UBC surged to an early lead on the back of eight points from Ibbetson. Despite a late layup and free throw from Coon, the Heat trailed 27–14 at the end of the quarter.

The Heat narrowed the gap in the second quarter with a strong performance in the paint, scoring 10 points. Tsuzuki led a pivotal stretch with back-to-back layups and added two free throws, chipping away at UBC's lead. Despite UBC's early 16-point advantage, UBCO capitalized on turnovers and free throws to reduce the deficit. The quarter ended with UBCO outscoring UBC 23–16, bringing the halftime score to 43–37 in favour of the Thunderbirds.

UBCO surged in the third quarter, sparked by Williams' early 3-pointer, narrowing the deficit. Coon further energized the home team with a crucial 3-pointer midway through the quarter to push UBCO ahead. Ava Heppner extended the lead by converting two free throws shortly thereafter, establishing a four-point advantage. UBC would battle back to even the score at 55 heading to the final frame.

The Heat capitalized on a strong start to the fourth quarter with Coon's three-point play, taking the lead 58–55. Sydney Lewis followed with a jumper, pushing UBCO to their largest lead at seven. 

However, the Thunderbirds would battle back and retook the lead thanks to jumper by Cassie Joli-Coeur that made it 65-64 for the visitors with four minutes left. UBCO would battle back and a key bucket from Coon, plus crucial free throws from Kiana Kaczur's with under a minute to play restored the advantage for UBCO and ultimately secured the victory.

In their next game, the Heat will face the T-Birds at home on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 6:30 p.m. The matchup will mark the final game of 2025 for UBCO and fans can catch the action by purchasing their tickets at GoHeat.ca/Tickets.

Game Notes:
- Kanani Coon has recorded at least 15 total points in four of her last six games
- the Heat's win snapped an eight-game losing skid against their sister-school rivals