The game was played in neutral territory, but the matchup was as memorable as it gets. Competing in the first round of the Canada West playoffs, the Brandon Bobcats and UNBC Timberwolves treated the fans in Lethbridge to a classic back-and-forth playoff battle Thursday night, with BU holding on for a thrilling 95-89 victory over the TWolves.
Early in the first quarter, the Timberwolves looked inside to utilize their size advantage in the paint, and Fareed Shittu was happy to get to work, hammering a dunk for the game's first points. The Bobcats responded with good ball movement and shooting from outside, as
Sultan Haider Bhatti and
Jahmaal Gardner made treys to give Brandon an edge late in the frame. UNBC leading scorer Tyrell Laing battled through physicality on the perimeter to get to his favourite midrange location for a pair of jumpers, but it was BU holding a 16-15 lead after ten minutes.
The TWolves aimed to get the ball to Canada West field goal percentage leader Spencer Ledoux in the opening minutes of the second frame, and the Kamloops product responded with a pair of early post buckets. The Bobcats were happy to go basket-for-basket, however, with
Anthony Tsegakele proving why he's a Canada West all-star with a big slam and tough bucket inside to maintain a Brandon advantage.
A Tsegakele trey at the buzzer gave Brandon a 41-34 lead at the half. He had 10 points and six boards at halftime, while Gardner added 12 points for Brandon. Shittu was UNBC's high-scorer with 13 points, while Tyrell Laing had five points and seven boards.
In the third quarter, UNBC's senior guards woke up. Tyrell Laing and Vova Pluzhnikov made three-pointers and led the TWolves all the way back, seizing the lead midway through the frame. Gardner reponded with a trey of his own, and the rest of the quarter was a battle of attrition, as the programs took turns holding the lead and the momentum. Tsegakele continued to be a thorn in the UNBC side in the paint, but the TWolves made enough shots in the quarter to hold a 63-59 lead after thirty minutes.
Laing continued to fire away early in the fourth, burying a 30-foot three-pointer to give UNBC a seven-point lead, but the Bobcats wouldn't go away.
Dominique Dennis earned himself a tough finish, followed by a Tsegakele bucket and the game was knotted at 71-71 with less than seven minutes to go.
Despite no Pronghorns on the court, the crowd in Lethbridge was treated to an incredible fourth quarter, as the Timberwolves and Bobcats went toe-to-toe for much of the final quarter. Brandon found success crashing the offensive glass, earning second-chance opportunities, while the trio of Laing, Pluzhnikov, and Shittu were trying to answer for UNBC. With less than three minutes remaining, Brandon grabbed three offensive rebounds on the same possession before the ball found the hands of Gardner, who splashed a trey to give BU a six-point lead.
From there, the TWolves did everything they could to cut into the deficit, but the Cats did just enough to break the pressure and hold on for a thrilling 95-89 victory.
"It looked like a team that didn't want to go home," said BU coach
Gil Cheung. "It has been a long couple years. But we got enough stops, and the leadership of Gardner and Tsegakele were amazing. They committed to getting stops. As a coach, you're proud because they didn't pack it in. UNBC made a big run and we hung in there and got it done."
Tsegakele was a monster with 33 points and 15 boards, while Gardner went 5-for-7 from long range for 29 points. Eli Ampofo chipped in with 11 points, and CW All-Rookie member
Sultan Haider Bhatti had seven points, 11 rebounds, and five helpers.
"They play with a lot of waves of energy," said UNBC coach Todd Jordan, of the Bobcats. "They'll go cold for a bit and then all of a sudden they're flying around and playing with a ton of energy. They got to the glass a ton, and that was the difference. Tsegakele was a monster on the glass, and it really hurt us."
For UNBC, Laing was tremendous, scoring 26 points on 9-for-14 shooting, adding eight boards and four assists. Shittu went for 23 points in his first career playoff game, while Pluzhnikov had 20 points and seven rebounds.
With the victory, Brandon will move on to play the Saskatchewan Huskies on Saturday, while the season comes to a close for UNBC.
"You don't want to get too far ahead of yourself, but our scout for Saskatchewan is done," said Cheung, postgame. "We have played them four times and we know what we have to do. It's about executing. I am really proud of our guys and they deserve that tonight."
The loss marked the final game in the careers of Laing, Pluzhnikov, Payton Tirrell, and Rohtash Mattu.
"I told those guys I am really proud. The fifth-year guys represented us really well. Ty and Vov have been with us for six years. Those guys are class acts," said Jordan. "They have contributed a lot in the community, and I am really proud of those guys. They have been really enjoyable guys to coach and it is bittersweet to see them go."
"Coach Jordan does a great job with those guys," said Cheung, about the TWolves. "We are really thinking of Vova. He has a lot going on, and he is a great ambassador. They have greta kids over there."
