Cougars earn second win of the season over Timberwolves

Geordie Carragher, UNBC Timberwolves Sports Information

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. - The Mount Royal Cougars took charge in the second quarter, and they didn't look back en route to defeating the UNBC Timberwolves 79-56 at the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre.

Angela Driscoll led Mount Royal (2-15) with 17 points and three steals, one of four Cougars to score in double figures.

Melissa Moore added 16 points, Katie Waring contributed 11 points and six assists, while Abby Gibb also had 11 for the Cougars, who shot 46.8 per cent from the field.

Eleni Steriopoulou paced the Timberwolves (2-15) with 14 points and three rebounds, while Preety Nijjar registered a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Hannah Pudlas also had a strong game with 11 points and seven rebounds for UNBC, who outrebounded Mount Royal 36-20.

Steriopoulou got things going for the Timberwolves in the first quarter, scoring UNBC's first eight points en route to an 11-point quarter.

However, the Cougars stayed in touch with UNBC throughout, limiting the Timberwolves' lead to 18-17 through the opening 10 minutes.

That set the stage for a strong second quarter for Mount Royal, using a quick 8-0 run in a 1:31 span to seize a 27-22 lead with 5:46 before halftime.

The Cougars' complete attack helped stretch their lead to 40-26 heading into the locker rooms.

UNBC came out strong in the opening minutes of the third quarter, doing their best to cut into the Mount Royal advantage. The Cougars locked down defensively and took it to the Timberwolves afterward, not allowing UNBC to make a field goal in the final 7:22 of the frame as part of a 17-2 run to end the quarter up 60-33.

The Timberwolves showed signs of life in the fourth quarter, using a pair of three-pointers from Stacey Graham to stay within striking distance of the Cougars, though there wasn't enough time to make a sustained run.

UNBC will wrap up the home portion of itof s regular season schedule against the Cougars on Saturday at 5 p.m., a game which can be seen live on CanadaWest.TV.