REGINA, Sask. – Led by a program playoff-record 22 points from Kanani Coon, the fifth-seeded UBCO Heat women's basketball team defeated the 12^th-seeded Brandon Bobcats 86-70 in the Canada West Play-In Round on Friday afternoon at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health and Sport.
 
After a tight opening quarter, the Heat used a 12-0 second-quarter run to take control of the game and never looked back on route to their second playoff win in team history.
 
"We've been playing in pretty important games the last three weeks which really prepped us for a playoff type feel and atmosphere," commented Heat head coach Bobby Mitchell after the game. "We were a bit tight at the start but we just talked about sticking to our principles on offence and defence and were really able to settle in from there."
 
Coon, who transferred to the Heat last summer from the NCAA, shone in her first-ever Canada West playoff game. The Kelowna, B.C., native shot 53.3 percent (8-for-15) from the floor, including a stellar 62.5 percent (5-for-8) from three-point range. She also pulled down seven rebounds and added two assists, two blocked shots and two steals.
 
"She hit big shots for us twice at the end of the shot clock and that's why we got her," said Mitchell of his star guard. "She can score at all three levels and one of the big reasons we were excited for her to be a part of her group was her ability to make shots, high pressure shots."
 
Rookie Sydney Lewis from Vernon, B.C., was also a force for the Heat, dominating in the post to finish with a career-high 18 points while pulling down nine rebounds and adding two steals.
 
"This started two weeks ago against Victoria," said Mitchell of Lewis. "She gained a lot of confidence in that game and it all came together this afternoon. I can't say enough good things about Sydney. She's been really building towards this and it's pretty special to see her come out and do that in a high-pressure situation. You couldn't tell she was a rookie out there."
 
Another Kelowna native, Lily Pink, commanded the floor all afternoon for the Heat, posting a balanced line of 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals as she directed traffic on offence and defence.
 
Kiana Kaczur from Kamloops, B.C., also finished in double figures, finishing with 11 points.
 
For Brandon, Piper Ingalls from Moose Jaw, Sask., finished as the game's top scorer with 26 points while Macaya Copeland from Hopkins, Minn., added 21.
 
UBCO kicked off the first quarter with an early Coon three-pointer, giving the Heat an early edge. The home team stayed competitive with effective defence, racking up six steals, and closed the quarter strong as a Lewis layup with 1:23 gave the team a one-point lead, 14-13, going into the second.
 
The Heat picked up momentum in the second quarter with the crucial 12-0 scoring run. Coon's three-pointer at 7:41 tied the game at 17, and her subsequent layup and free throw moments later levelled the score again at 20. Kaczur's three-point play pushed the home team's lead to 25-20. Lewis was also instrumental during the run, scoring three consecutive baskets, including a jumper set up by Pink to widen the gap. The quarter wrapped up with three-pointers from Aiko Williams and Kaczur, as well as a last-second layup from Coon, ending the quarter with UBCO leading 42–33.
 
UBCO held its advantage in the third quarter, highlighted by a crucial scoring stretch from Coon. She scored five consecutive points to extend the Heat's lead. Pink added to the effort with a series of layups, including one with 42 seconds remaining, driving the home team's offensive momentum. The Heat outscored Brandon 22-16 in the quarter, leading to a 64-49 score at the end of the third.
 
The Heat maintained their lead throughout the fourth quarter. The Bobcats would make a late push, cutting a once 21-point lead down to 10 but a pair of Lewis free throws and another Kaczur three shut the door on any comeback attempt.
 
With the win, the Heat now advance to the conference quarter-finals on Saturday, February 14 where they will face the fourth-seeded Regina Cougars, who finished second in the Canada West Prairie division with a 17-3 record.
 
"I think it's going to start with dealing with [Jade] Belmore and [Cara] Misskey," said Mitchell on how the Heat will try to knockoff the Cougars. "It won't be an easy task but we have to play our game and play to our strengths. If we can force them into that, then we'll be successful."
 
Game time is set for 4 p.m. Pacific and the game can be seen live on CanadaWest.tv presented by BioSteel.