Pandas basketball start 2023 with double-header wins against University of British Columbia Okanagan

The Pandas basketball team played their first weekend of 2023 and ended it with two wins against the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) Heat. The first game on January 6 ended with the Pandas in an unbroken lead, at 79-52. The next day, the Pandas won 79-64. 

In their first game of the new year and the weekend, the Pandas began by getting on the scorecard first. The games’ first points were scored by the game’s lead scorer, Emma Kary. Kary kicked off the game with a successful three-pointer shot, of which she would make five more throughout the game. 

The first half of the game ended with the Pandas leading at 31-19, and Kary with 10 points. 

The second half saw Jenna Harpe also break 10 points of the game, making her 11th point of the game in the third quarter. 

The game ended with Kary at 28 points, having made 60 per cent of her three-pointers. Claire Signatovich and Harpe ended with 12 and 13 points respectively, with Signatovich picking up 15 rebounds in the game and Harpe making two of her four three-pointers. Closely behind them, in terms of points for the game, were Shae McCusker with nine points and Morgan Harris with six. The Pandas remained in the lead for the entirety of the game, before ending at 79-52. 

The Pandas’ second game of the weekend saw the team take the early lead as they made the first points on the score sheet. However, the Pandas quickly fell behind the Heat. The Pandas trailed until they began a 28-point run in the second quarter that continued into the third. After breaking into the lead in the second quarter, the Pandas stayed ahead for the rest of the game. 

The Pandas ended the game at 79-64, lead by Signatovich, who received double-doubles in both games, as both her points scored and rebounds broke double digits. Over the two games, Signatovich scored 36 points — 12 in the first game and 24 in the second. Signatovich had 28 rebounds — 15 in the first game and 13 in the second. 

Kary was the lead scorer for the weekend, with 28 points in the first game and 11 in the second game. The Pandas’ three-point percentage was 40 per cent in the first game, compared to 25 per cent in the second game.