VANCOUVER - The No. 3 ranked UBC Thunderbirds (19-2) disposed of the No. 5 ranked Calgary Dinos (16-4) 91-76 at War Memorial on Saturday in a game that lived up to its billing as a match-up between the top ranked teams in the Canada West.
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The T-Birds formidable depth was on full display but not in their typical scoring by committee fashion. UBC was charged with 27 personal fouls, 14 of those in the first half, and were forced into using their depth to counter the foul trouble and Calgary's offensive firepower.
"We were picking up so many fouls, we had to go small ball for the first time all year and all of a sudden we are having to play our guards against their bigs," said UBC head coach Kevin Hanson.
On a night when the stars really came out to play, it was arguably a pair of T-Bird guards that shined the brightest. UBC's starting back court duo of Josh Whyte and Chris Dyck combined for 51 points, including 34 in the second half.
Whyte likely had his finest performance as a T-Bird finishing the game with 27 points, eight assists, six rebounds, four steals, and no turnovers.
Dyck, who stands 6-foot-3, started the game off in unfamiliar territory and was forced into guarding Calgary star and renowned high flyer Henry Bekkering, who measures in at 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, for the majority of the first half.
That surprising assignment may have been the spark that Dyck needed coming off an 0-11 shooting performance against the lowly Lethbridge Pronghorns on Friday.
"Chris and I had a talk during the week and he said to me that he was concerned he wasn't putting up the numbers he thought he should be," said Hanson. "I told him that there would be a time for him to step up and at the half tonight, we asked him to get us going. After the performance he had last night, he just needed to hit one to get some confidence and that is what he did in the third quarter for us."
The T-Birds nursed a 35-30 lead at the half, an amazing feat considering their four natural post players had already picked up 10 fouls, and Dyck came out on fire, making four straight baskets to stretch the UBC lead to 46-34. He notched 14 points in the quarter and finished the game with 24.
The Dinos responded, however, and closed the lead to 60-52 at the end of the quarter. The visitors continued their comeback effort in the fourth, pulling to within four at 67-63 just over four minutes in but then it was Whyte who took over.
The third-year guard had 11 points in the final frame including a four-point play and then a three point-play gave UBC a 79-70 lead with 3:04 left.
Dyck got back into the mix with the proverbial dagger, hitting a three from the corner on a dish from Whyte with 1:27 left to put UBC up 84-71.
The T-Birds had just Dyck and Whyte hit double figures but nine other players registered on the score sheet.
Calgary was led by Bekkering's 25 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Robbie Sihota chipped in with 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds and Ross Bekkering added 14 points and eight boards as the Dinos had just eight players score on the night.
The T-Birds close out their regular season next weekend at home versus TRU (2-19) and UFV (7-14). UBC has already clinched first in the Pac-D and will host a home playoff series in two weeks time against the SFU Clam (12-9).
Calgary closes out their season on the road in Edmonton against the Alberta Golden Bears (12-8).
Game Notes: Calgary ended the contest with 21 fouls but picked up eight in the fourth quarter...The Dinos led only once in the contest, by one in the first minute of the first quarter...Calgary shot 27-of-52 (51.9%) from the field, while UBC was 32-of-74 (43.2%)...Both sides made 17 free throws but UBC only had 21 (81%) attempts compared to 27 (63%) for the Dinos...UBC's Balraj Bains and Graham Bath combined for six points, three boards, and nine fouls in just 14 minutes of action.
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