The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds showed why they are a perennial tournament guest, shellacking the Dalhousie University Tigers 78-54 in the second quarter-final matchup of the Canadian University Sport (CIS) men’s basketball championship on March 13 at Scotiabank Place.

The Thunderbirds overpowered the Tigers both offensively and defensively, dominating in every aspect of the game.

After some shaky shooting from both teams at the start of the first quarter, UBC settled down and began to find their rhythm, in spite of the rowdy Dalhousie student section situated next to the Tiger’s bench.

The Thunderbirds played a calm and calculating style of basketball, delivering shots with great efficiency.

At the end of the first half, UBC held a comfortable lead of 38-21.

In the second, the Thunderbirds refused to take their foot off the gas, raining more shots than the Tigers could handle.

UBC shot 42 per cent from the field, including 37 per cent from three-point range. Conversely, Dalhousie sunk just 35 per cent of their shots.

In addition to their superior shooting, the Thunderbirds controlled the boards, out-rebounding the Tigers 42-26, as well as forcing 14 turnovers.

One highlight for the Tigers came when second-year guard Stephen Lopez dove through the air in dramatic fashion, crashing through several UBC defenders and laying the ball in beautifully, before coming down hard to the floor.

However, Lopez missed his free throw, ruining the chance of the 3-point play.

UBC coasted to victory in the fourth quarter, with the final score being 78 to 54.

The Thunderbirds’ player of the game was third-year guard Josh Whyte, who scored 13 points, and contributed seven rebounds and three assists.

The win was vindicating for UBC head coach Kevin Hanson, whose team had a string of first round defeats in the CIS nationals in five of the last six years.

Hanson talked about the numerous changes made since the previous years’ early exits.

“I changed everything on the offensive end, the defensive end, and I even bought new underwear for this year,” he said.

Hanson credited his team’s defensive play for the victory.

“I thought the guys played unbelievable defensively, especially in the first half and [they] really set the tone.” He said.

The Thunderbirds’ next game will be against the University of Calgary Dinos.

The last time the two teams met was in the Canada West Conference final game, with Calgary coming out on top 80-76.

The first of two semifinal games begins at 6 p.m. tomorrow at Scotiabank Place.