It wasn’t the Seniors Night celebration the University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves had planned, falling 106-68 to the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns, Saturday February 2, at the Charles Jago Northern Sports Centre in Prince George.
Coming off a 96-90 win on Friday, the Timberwolves looked to continue that pace, but fell behind and were unable to recover. The Pronghorns shot 48 per cent from the field in the first half, and were able to limit the Timberwolves to just 21% shooting. Vova Pluzhnikov scored ten in the half for UNBC, but Chad Oviatt made a trio of three-pointers for Lethbridge, who silenced the Prince George crowd with a 45-23 lead.
“In that second quarter, they came out with a lot of energy and we didn’t match it,” said UNBC’s Jovan Leamy. “They attacked us. They punched us and we didn’t punch back. Kudos to them for coming out strong.”
Oviatt continued to shoot the ball well from long-range, going 7-for-ten from beyond the arc, good for 32 points on the night. The TWolves young players showed good pushback in the final frame, as Ross and Mcneight had flashes that livened the hometown crowd, but the score read 106-68 when time ran out.
A bright moment for UNBC was Jovan Leamy’s free-throw in the fourth quarter, giving him 361 points on the season, breaking Rhys Elliott’s program record for most points in a single season.
Oviatt’s 32 points paced the Pronghorns, who had six players in double figures. Eric Pierce had 17 points and five rebounds, Kyle Peterson had 12 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, while Zac Overwater had 14 points, Colton Gibb had 13, and Mike Pierzchala was good for 10 points and nine boards.
“Our offense never seems to be the problem. We score over 100 pretty consistently,” said Oviatt. “We just have to keep that momentum, and defensive momentum going into the playoffs.”