By UNBC Athletics

Sports

TWolves advance to Canada West Final Four after a six-point victory over Manitoba

Feb 23, 2024 | 8:21 AM

Winnipeg, MB – The UNBC Timberwolves men’s basketball squad is becoming the talk of the tournament and are now in the Canada West Final Four for the first time in program history.

Thursday night in Winnipeg the #12 ranked UNBC Timberwolves captured their second victory in as many nights – an 84-78 thriller over the tournament hosts, the #4 ranked Manitoba Bisons. Fifth-year forward Spencer Ledoux led the charge with 22 points while Justin Sunga (16), Josh Gillespie (12) and Evgeny Baukin (11) also finished in double digits. Chris Ross added 10 rebounds, and a crucial fourth quarter ‘And 1’ basket that gave the TWolves a three-point lead that they ultimately would not relinquish.

“It’s hard to describe. We’ve never been here before,” remarked forward Josh Gillespie after the game. “It’s awesome for coach and the program and I’m just super proud to be a part of this.”

Daren Watts (23) and Simon Hildebrandt (20) combined for 43 points in response for the Bisons who led for 34:16 of the game’s 40 minutes.

With a crowd of over 1400-strong on their side, the hosts jumped out to a 27-19 first quarter lead. Hildebrandt, playing like a true first-team Canada West all-star led the way with 10. Ledoux potted the first four points of the evening for UNBC, and finished with a team-high six in the first. Darren Hunter provided some energy off the bench with five first-quarter points, three of which came from the charity stripe. Josh Gillespie added an emphatic slam dunk in the opening 10, and despite four threes from the Bisons, the Timberwolves managed to maintain their composure.

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Ledoux added seven more points to his total in the second quarter, sparking an eight-point swing in favour of the TWolves. Trailing 29-20, UNBC chipped away with an 8-2 run – four of which came from Ledoux. Hunter and Gillespie each added two, getting UNBC back within three at 31-28. Manitoba responded with a 6-0 run thanks to four from Mason Kraus and two from Watts. But UNBC ended the quarter on a 10-3 run thanks to a three from Ledoux, two layups from Justin Sunga and five from Baukin, including a game-tying three in the final minute, forcing a 42-42 tie. At half, Ross had a team-leading six rebounds while Sunga had six assists. Hildebrandt led all scorers with 15 at half for Manitoba. Cieran O’Hara had six boards.

A big third quarter from Watts put Manitoba up 63-60 through 30 minutes. Watts poured in 10 points on four-of-seven shooting. True to form, Todd Jordan’s club bent, but didn’t break in the third. Ledoux added seven more, and Hunter and Ross each hit from deep. In the waning moments of the third, Hunter delivered a timely ‘And 1’ sequence, pushing the TWolves back within three.

An early ‘And 1’ finish from Sunga put UNBC ahead by a slim 64-63 margin, but that lead was quickly erased by a 5-0 run from Kraus. With his team down by five, Chris Ross nailed two timely free-throws which, yet again, kept UNBC within striking distance. Ledoux and Hildebrandt swapped buckets, setting the stage for a game-tying three from Sunga with 3:25 to go – tying the score at 73-73.

After a missed jumper from Kraus, Chris Ross crashed the rim hard and managed to convert his layup while being fouled. He nailed his free-throw, putting UNBC up 76-73. From there, the plucky TWolves never trailed again.

Up 77-75, Gillespie went two-for-two from the line, and later added a successful layup to make the score 82-75. A late triple from Watts moved the Bisons back within four, but Sunga iced the game with two late free-throws, cementing UNBC’s berth in the Canada West Final Four.

“This year we’ve had a lot of ups and downs. But we’re showing this week that we can compete with anybody in the conference,” added Gillespie. “Defensively we rebounded and boxed out well in the fourth quarter. It comes down to grit and heart and who wants it more and we executed and defense and wanted it more.”

Up next for UNBC – A clash with the #1 ranked Victoria Vikes on Saturday at 6:00 pm CT/4:00 pm PT.