Fourth-quarter Heat rally leads to tough loss for Lady Eagles

Despite a strong effort, the Kwantlen women’s basketball team dropped their second game in two nights to the UBC-Okanagan (UBCO) Heat 60-52 Saturday.

UBCO scored the first basket of the game, but after that, Kwantlen didn’t fall behind until the fourth quarter, when UBCO came storming back and took control of the game.

Both teams had an aggressive outing, but early on, everything went Kwantlen’s way. The Eagles led by as many as eight at one point, and when the two teams were tied in the first half, UBCO couldn’t get a single basket to fall.

At half-time, the score was 29-28, but the Eagles had control of the game. Kwantlen’s Jessica Williams and Emily Wright drove the tempo in the first half, each scoring seven points, and fourth-year veteran Taminder Dhaliwal had six.

Kwantlen’s dominance continued through the third, but when the fourth quarter started, a couple of baskets by the Heat shifted the momentum. UBCO scored 19 points in the fourth, compared to Kwantlen’s eight. Jenna Kantz and Audrey Siebert-Timmer were the Heat’s top scorers in the game, scoring 11 and 10 points.

Although Kwantlen didn’t come away with a win, Eagles coach Gary Pawluk had a positive view of the game.

“The girls battled tonight. We played tough. That’s a very good team, UBCO. They’re big and they’re very good in transition,” said Pawluk. “There was some intense play and we battled very well. Unfortunately, we didn’t shoot the ball well and the end result was the score.”

Pawluk said that when Kwantlen is shooting well, they are tough to match and that will be one of the team’s strengths this season.

“Basketball is all about rhthym and when you get in rhythm, you become a very good shooter. It’s tougher to get in rhythm in games. That’s the challenge we face,” he said.

Kwantlen’s next game is Friday, Nov. 13, the first of two games that weekend, in Victoria against the Camosun Chargers. The Eagles don’t play at home again until Jan. 29, 2010.