Brandon rides Americans’ offence past UBC

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This article was published 06/01/2023 (621 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They’re here for nights like that.

Jahmaal Gardner and Khari Ojeda-Harvey took over the Brandon University Bobcats’ offence for a torrid 20 minutes. The New Yorkers dropped 25 points apiece after combining for 40 in the first half as the Bobcats downed the UBC Thunderbirds 92-79 at the Healthy Living Centre on Friday night.

Brandon snapped a brief two-game skid and improved to 8-3 with a convincing win over an always-strong, well-coached Canada West men’s basketball team.

“Me and Jahmaal, we were locked in,” Ojeda-Harvey said. “We knew how big of a game this was. We didn’t like the way we ended the first half of the year. We had two poor games back-to-back against Winnipeg so we wanted to come out here and make a statement against a really good UBC team.”

It took 44 seconds for UBC starting forward Tobi Akinkunmi to pick up his second foul and take a seat. BU enjoyed the chance to hit a few open shots and go up 7-2.

UBC (4-5) responded with a few open looks from three, rattling off an 8-0 run to pull ahead 15-11. Both sides wasted no time showing how effortlessly they can rack up points against a lacklustre defence.

Ojeda-Harvey nailed a buzzer-beater triple to give Brandon a 21-19 edge after the first quarter.

Gardner caught fire in the second, with a jumper, three-point play, jumper and a 29-foot trey to beat the shot clock for 10 points in less than four minutes.

Ojeda-Harvey and Gardner combined for all 19 of BU’s points in the quarter until Anthony Tsegakele picked off a pass under UBC’s hoop and dunked it to go up 42-33.

Gardner hit another trey, then BU simply forgot to retreat on defence and Brian Wallack flushed down a dunk. On the next UBC transition play, however, Tsegakele swatted a layup off the backboard and the Bobcats responded with a three on the other end to lead by 14.

Gardner hit a pair of free throws to push BU ahead 53-38 at halftime.

“We’ve always talked about how we have the best backcourt in the country and they displayed that tonight,” Tsegakele said.

“… Even their energy defensively, picking up two great guards full court, Jahmaal guarding one of the best scorers in the conference (James Woods), even in the country today, doing his thing. Their defensive energy got them going and they were able to make shots.”

Tsegakele did most of the damage on offence for BU in a quiet third quarter. The hosts led by as many as 19 points before the T-Birds pounded them in the paint to cut the deficit to 70-56 after three.

“Even us being up big in the first half, they weren’t going to quit,” Ojeda-Harvey said. “We knew they were going to come back, we knew they were going to make a run. We were waiting for it and we were ready for it.”

When the T-Birds got within 11, Jack McDonald and Sultan Bhatti replied with back-to-back treys to keep a comfortable lead halfway through the fourth.

The Bobcats wouldn’t let the visitors within 10.

Both teams shot just over 47 per cent from the field, but Brandon was a blistering 46 per cent from three and made 16 of 25 free throws to UBC’s 10-for-15.

And the bigger Thunderbirds only enjoyed a 41-37 edge on the glass.

“In the first half they only had two offensive rebounds and first semester that was one of the things we wanted to dig in and get better at,” Tsegakele said.

Tsegakele notched 15 points, Bhatti put up 14 and McDonald added 11 while Travis Hamberger had BU’s only two points off the bench.

Wallack paced the T-Birds with 17 points.

The teams meet again tonight at 7 o’clock.

“We feel like we’re one of the better teams in Canada,” Ojeda-Harvey said. “We aren’t ranked so we felt like this was a way to make a statement.

“We have a really good UBC team then … Manitoba next. We have two really good opponents so it’s time for us to make a statement.”

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com

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