Box Score
KELOWNA - Each team would have a lead in the final quarter, but it was ultimately the visiting Manitoba Bisons that outlasted the UBC Okanagan Heat 74-67 in Canada West women's basketball action Saturday, February 1 night from UBC's Okanagan campus.
The Bisons' Sheree Carmona-Galdamez fourth quarter heroics would break her team away from the back and forth contest scoring nine of her teams 15 points over the final seven minutes of the fourth.
Carmona-Galdamez would end up with 17 points on the night. Teammate Allison Balasko was also formidable in that stretch and was problematic in the interior for the Heat all game long. Balasko would wrap up with a game-high 18 points and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.
Once again, it was two Heat rookies shining for the home team as Claire Elliott (North Vancouver, BC) and Shenelle Tamminen (Calgary, AB) logged over twenty minutes each. Elliott would put up 14 points on 6-11 shooting while Tamminen chipped in five points, two rebounds and two assists.
Third-year Heat guard Emily Kanester (Vernon, BC) led her team with 15 points and grabbed four rebounds. Her two made threes raised $100 for KidSportTM tonight as a donation of $50 for every made UBC Okanagan three would be donated by the athletic department. The Heat went 3-12 from three earning $150 towards the charity that wants to break down the financial barriers to sport for children across the nation. A total of $150 as raised in this game, with Shenelle Tamminen netting the team's third three late in the fourth quarter.
With seven and a half minutes to play, the UBC Okanagan women's basketball team was a perfect 20-20 from the free-throw line, which was a welcome boost considering offensive production was otherwise hard to find in a 37% shooting night versus the Manitoba Bisons. It too bad that it was not free-throws being counted towards the fundraising totals on KidSportTM night, as the Heat would make 24 of 30 shots from the charity stripe at the final buzzer.
The Heat are now 3-15 for the season while the Bisons improve to 4-14.
The Heat hit the road next weekend for a pair of games against the UBC Thunderbirds. Tip-off at War Memorial Gymnasium is at 6 p.m. While Manitoba will host the playoff bound Alberta Pandas for a pair of games next Friday and Saturday (Feb. 7-8 wknd).
