Sometimes the best way to roll with the punches is by playing a little rope-a-dope.
In the case of the UNBC Timberwolves women’s basketball team, they withstood the hardest blow from the Calgary Dinos and kept on fighting.
Led by fifth-year captain, Alina Shakirova, the T-Wolves erased a 13-0 first quarter deficit to unseat the Dinos in a dramatic 86-79 come-from-behind victory on Friday at the Northern Sport Centre.
Shakirova had a game-high 25 points and eight rebounds leading UNBC to its first win of the season.
After Calgary came out firing, T-Wolves bench boss Sergei Shchepotkin called a timeout and ended up being the tonic to rally his squad.
From there, UNBC went on a 17-3 run, led by freshman Amrit Manak who made a trio of three-pointers to trim the deficit to 21-17 after the first quarter.
In the second, Sarah Kuklisin got in the grill of the Calgary defenders with her ability to penetrate, leading to buckets for herself and veteran post Cevanna Carlson. UNBC led 43-42 at halftime.
We have a DOOZY happening in Prince George pic.twitter.com/5ZUJxasTCW
— UNBC Athletics (@UNBCATHLETICS) November 26, 2022
Former UNBC star Madison Landry got her mojo going in the second half for the Dinos scoring most of her team-high 17 points in the third quarter.
The Timberwolves (1-6) led by as many as eight points in the third but some clutch shots from Louise Rouse and Mya Proctor kept Calgary in striking distance.
Fans at the NSC were treated to a doozy of a fourth quarter where both teams traded buckets, but it would be the Timberwolves who would endure.
UNBC pulled away for good after Manak made her fourth trey of the game to stretch the lead to eight, and the defensive grit created turnovers on Calgary’s final possessions.
Manak ended the game with 14 points for UNBC who out rebounded the Dinos (5-2) 47-35.
In addition, the T-Wolves also tallied 44 points in the paint.
The men’s action was just as heart-stopping as UNBC outlasted Calgary 95-92 in overtime.
After holding a 44-32 edge at halftime, the Timberwolves had a sloppy second half getting outscored by a 49-37 margin.
To make matters more interesting, second-year guard Darren Hunter was kicked out of the game with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter after a verbal jousting match with the referee, putting Calgary into the bonus.
Somehow, the Timberwolves dug deep and found a way to force the extra frame tied at 81 apiece.
Hear the Sauce Boss, Chris Ross, as the @UNBCMBB captain reflects on a big win over a very dangerous @DinosMBB team pic.twitter.com/GzDEYDgX9O
— UNBC Athletics (@UNBCATHLETICS) November 26, 2022
In overtime, clutch shots by Micah Jessie, Justin Sunga and Fareed Shittu put UNBC back in the driver’s seat, enroute to a 4-3 record.
The Dinos dropped to 4-3, foiling a stellar 27-point effort from Aidan Smith who went 10-for-15 on field goals. Fifth-year guard Ezeoha Santiago recorded 21 points in defeat.
For the Timberwolves, Jessie led the way offensively with 24 points while Hunter chipped in with 19. Shittu tallied a double-double, 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Both UNBC varsity basketball teams continue their double headers today (Saturday) at the Northern Sports Centre against Calgary. Tip offs are at 4pm and 6pm.
Mountain Ledoux with the effort rebound and Micah jessie buries the three!@UNBCMBB up 16-10 late in the first quarter! pic.twitter.com/76c2sx7qZJ
— UNBC Athletics (@UNBCATHLETICS) November 26, 2022
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