Kelowna native Jaeli Ibbetson recorded her 14th double-double of the season to lead the UBC Okanagan Heat women's basketball team to their first-ever Canada West playoff win on Wednesday night as they defeated the Trinity Western Spartans 63-57 in their Canada West Play-In game at the UFV Athletics Centre.
Ibbetson, a fourth-year forward playing in her final season with the Heat, ensured she gave her hometown team a memory that will last forever as she scored 14 of her 21 points in the second half to help UBCO hold off the Spartans late to come away with the victory.
"I feel like it was really special," said Ibbetson, who added 16 rebounds on the night. "Being in my last year, to come down here and beat a higher-seeded team, that's what we've been looking for all season."
"It's great," enthused Heat head coach Bobby Mitchell. "This group has been here (in the playoffs) a couple times, and hasn't been able to get it done. I'm just so happy for the players. Players win games, and they got it done today."
"We talked about a month ago, about getting to this point playing our best basketball. We really felt like the last three weeks, we've been doing that. We just wanted to stay true to how we want to play and not get out of our systems."
Ibbetson, the 2023-24 Canada West second team all-star, wasn't alone in posting a double-double on the night for UBCO as fellow batterymate Kelsey Falk of Vernon, B.C., finished the contest with 14 points and 12 rebounds. She also dished out a career-high five assists.
Fifth-year guard Sofia Ainsa Lluch of Mahon, Spain added 10 points as well as four assists.
Leading the way for the Spartans was star guard Jayden Gill of Abbotsford, B.C., as she finished the game with a team-high 18 points competing in her hometown.
Both teams got off to a sluggish start in the contest as they battled early nerves. However, the Spartans also had to contest with a determined Heat defensive effort as UBCO recorded four blocks in the opening quarter, including two from rookie Tennyson McCarthy of Lake Country, B.C. Despite their efforts on defence, the Heat found themselves trailing by two after 10 minutes.
A 7-0 run from the Heat early in the second turned the game around for UBCO and it was sparked by fifth-year guard Rachel Hettinga of Kelowna, B.C. Hettinga scored five points during the run which gave her team a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the night.
In the third quarter, the Spartans began to chip away at the Heat's advantage and were able to cut the deficit to just three points. But the Heat had a response and went on a 10-2 run to close the quarter, showcasing their strong transition offence, as they took 46-35 lead into the fourth.
UBCO maintained their cushion for much of the fourth quarter until the final two minutes as the Spartans made a final push. A pair of Gill free throws with 30 seconds left cut the Heat's lead to just three but both Ibbetson and Lauren Foullong of Orangeville, Ont., made their free throws down the stretch to clinch the victory.
"We played good team basketball in the second half," added Ibbetson after the game. "We got good team stops on defence and were sharing the ball well on offence, which created a lot of open looks, not only for myself, but for my teammates."
With the win, the Heat advance to the Canada West Quarter-finals on Thursday, February 22 where the #1 Saskatchewan Huskies await. These two teams met twice during the regular season in Saskatchewan, with the Huskies getting the better of the Heat on both occasions.
Tipoff between the Heat and Huskies is set for 8 p.m. at the UFV Athletics Centre and the game can be seen live on CanadaWest.tv.