Sunday afternoon at Brownridge Court at UNBC, the UNBC Timberwolves Women (1-1) earned a hard-fought, scrappy 61-51 victory over the visiting TRU WolfPack. Viktoriia Filatova poured home a career-best 20 points, and Sveta Boykova added a double-double (15 points, 12 rebounds) for the hosts. Danijela Kovacevic led all TRU scorers with 13 while Olivia Randall and Morgan Eichenberger added 11 apiece.
The TWolves rewarded the frenzied home crowd with a 7-0 run to start the game. The first official Canada West bucket at Brownridge Court was an awesome ‘And 1’ finish for Sarah Kuklisin. Sophia Fuller and Bella Mesquita each followed with buckets. Kuklisin added jumper three minutes into the game, helping UNBC to a 9-2 early lead. The first two makes of the day for TRU came from Kovacevic and a pair of free throws from Eichenberger. Defensively the Green and Gold started strong as five different Timberwolves recorded rebounds in the opening five minutes.
With the score 16-7 for UNBC, the WolfPack found some life. Priyanca Sundher started the TRU rally with a triple, and both Olivia Randall and Allison Hansen followed up with a pair of free throws. Then with time ticking down, Sundher hit a jumper, tying the score at 19-19 which is how the first would end.
TRU outscored UNBC 16 – seven in the second quarter. Six of the 16 came from Kovacevic and Randall hit an early triple in the opening minute which put TRU ahead. Defensively the WolfPack stifled the TWolves keeping them scoreless for the opening five minutes and change. Sveta Boykova changed that with five unanswered points (via a three and two free throws). Yana Shupak rounded out the scoring for UNBC with a pair of free-throws, marking her first career Canada West points.
At half the WolfPack led 35-36, despite being out rebounded 22-18. Sundher, Kovacevic and Eichenberger each had eight points in the first half for TRU while Kuklisin and Boykova each had five apiece for UNBC.
Trailing by 13 in the opening minutes of the third, Sergey Shchepotkin’s club caught fire. First it was Kuklisin who finished off a layup. Then Viktoriia Filatova nailed a three, and a two in back-to-back possessions, pushing the gap to six. Boykova then hit a layup, and all of a sudden TRU’s lead was four (42-38). Defensively the TWolves remained solid, and it resulted in layups for Boykova and Filatova and a total erasure of a 13-point deficit!
A single free throw from Eichenberger ended the run, and (momentarily) restored the TRU lead. But the Brownridge Court roof shook a few moments later when Brynn Dergousoff blocked Eichenberger in close, and then Filatova finished off a layup at the other end, giving UNBC the lead back! Next possession, Adaiah Tupas-Singh drilled a three and gave the TWolves a 47-43 lead through three quarters.
Filatova nailed an early three in the fourth and Boykova added two more, which pushed the TWolves lead to nine early the fourth. With UNBC leading by 11, Randall hit a three which moved TRU back within eight, but TRU would only manage five more points for the remainder of the fourth. At the other end, Boykova and Filatova combined for 12 of UNBCs eventual 14 fourth-quarter points and Amrit Manak hit two free-throws which iced a 61-51 victory for the Green and Gold on the brand new Brownridge Court.
With 15 points and 12 rebounds to her credit Sunday, Sveta Boykova earned Mr. Mike’s Player of the Game honours for UNBC.
Up next for the Green and Gold, a trip to the Island to clash with the Victoria Vikes on Friday and Saturday.