On Friday night in Kamloops, the UNBC Timberwolves ran into a red-hot shooting performance from the host TRU WolfPack, and fell 74-50 in the last game before going into winter break.
While the result wasn’t what the visitors wanted, Claire Huang was a standout performer for the Timberwolves. The second-year guard was the bright spot for UNBC, pouring in a team and career-high 16 points to go along with 3 assists and 3 rebounds. Avin Jahangiri was a force on the glass, hauling in a game-high 10 rebounds.
For TRU, Sydney Vollrath was the story, draining seven 3-pointers en route to a game-high 28 points.
The WolfPack jumped out to a fast start on their home floor, opening the game on a 9-0 run fueled by Vollrath and Morgan Eichenberger. Hazel Phillips got UNBC on the board with a free throw, and Viktoriia Filatova connected on a 3-pointer assisted by Aurora Cabrera to cut the deficit. However, TRU’s offense kept clicking, and despite a late layup from Cabrera assisted by Huang, the hosts took a 24-10 lead after ten minutes.
The Timberwolves found their footing in the second quarter. Filatova provided a spark with a jump shot and a steal leading to a layup. Phillips also got involved, hitting a 3-pointer from a Huang feed and earning trips to the free-throw line. Huang herself got going late in the half, draining a triple and finding Mya Willing for a jumper to close the quarter.
UNBC played a much more even frame but went into the locker room trailing 39-27.
In the third quarter, the WolfPack pulled away behind the arc. Vollrath caught fire, hitting multiple 3-pointers to extend the TRU lead. Jahangiri battled inside for UNBC, hitting a jumper off a Filatova assist, and Huang continued to attack the paint, earning points at the free-throw line.
Despite the Timberwolves’ effort, the WolfPack’s perimeter shooting proved too much to handle, and the hosts built a 63-38 advantage heading into the final frame.
The Timberwolves continued to fight in the fourth. VFilatova opened the quarter with a steal and a layup, and Huang took over down the stretch. Huang scored a layup, hit free throws, and converted a tough “and-one” play in the final seconds to cap off her strong night. Phillips added a late layup off a steal, but the deficit was too large to overcome as TRU secured the 74-50 victory.
Up next for UNBC – a home tilt with UBC on Thursday, January 15 at the NSC.
