VANCOUVER, BC – The Lakehead University men’s basketball team came within a shot of recovering from a game-long deficit to the hosting UBC Thunderbirds, but were three points short, 84-81 at the end of 40 minutes. Lakehead coach Scott Morrison said, “Despite falling just short, I could not be prouder of our guys. Outsized and short handed we did not quit and battled hard enough over 40 minutes to have the last shot to tie the game. Our turnovers, missed FT and sloppy play in the first half could be pointed to as a reason for the loss and also something we can focus on heading into next week’s practice. We are going home with a winning record on a tough trip and with the confidence to know that even without a full team, we can play with anyone in the CIS.”
The game began with both teams digging in defensively, 15-10 UBC after 10 minutes. The ‘Birds would extend their lead by another 4 points to 38-29 at the break. With the ‘Birds up 10 heading into the 4th, Lakehead would empty whatever energy they had left in the tank in the final 10 minutes of what was their 7th game in 10 days. With some heroic plays in the very last minute of the game, Lakehead pulled within 3 points with under 10 seconds left on the clock, but could not force overtime.
Matt Schmidt (Thunder Bay) had a game and season-high 23 points in 31 minutes of play, and connected on 5 of 8 three-point attempts. Ben Johnson (Pictou, NS) was next leading scorer with 18. Dwayne Harvey had 10 points and a team-high 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Four UBC players hit double digits, led by Doug Plumb with 19 points, Tommy Nixon and O’Brian Wallace with 17 apiece and David Wagner with 13 points and 9 rebounds.
Lakehead shot 17-28 (61%) from the free throw line, compared to UBC’s 25-35 (71%).
The team’s record on the extended Can West road trip ended at 4-3. Their total pre-season record stands at 8-3. They will begin their regular season schedule on Friday, November 9th in Toronto vs. Ryerson.
