WBB: TWolves shooting goes ice cold; drop low-scoring game to Cougars

Women's Basketball
January 27, 2023

The UNBC Timberwolves shot just 21.7% from the field, and just 4-for-31 from beyond the arc, falling 61-47 to the MRU Cougars on Friday, January 27th, 2023 in Calgary, Alberta.

The Timberwolves came out a little disconnected on offense, allowing the Cougars to jump out to an early 8-1 lead in the first quarter. However, Alina Shakirova proved why she is the captain of the UNBC team, scoring back-to-back and ones to get the TWolves right back into the game at the midway mark of the frame.

The Cougars would show their mettle on the defensive end, clamping down on the TWolves’ attack for remainder of the quarter. UNBC would fail to score a field goal over the final 5:03 of the quarter and found themselves trailing 16-14 after ten minutes.

In the second quarter, UNBC struggled with turnovers, stifling their own offense with poor passes and mental errors. Their effort on the defensive end was commendable, however, as they did well to clamp down on Mount Royal, keeping the game close. After a low-scoring half, MRU led 31-25. The Timberwolves shot just 8-for-29 from the field, good for 27.6%.

Shakirova led the way with 11 points and four rebounds, often being swarmed with double-teams in the process. Olivia Wilson added five points and four boards.

A Jenna Korolek three-pointer got the TWolves going in the second half, as Sergey Shchepotkin’s team looked to create more open looks than the prior frame when they managed just 11 points. Both teams continued to make life difficult for each other, with the scoreboard reflecting the offensive woes at each end. The game was tremendously physical, with the officials electing to allow plenty of physicality to go, leading to more and more contested shots and stifled offense.

After three quarters, Mount Royal held a 40-37 lead. The three-point deficit was not the worst news for Shchepotkin, however, as his team had shot just 25.5% to that point, while turning it over 23 times in 30 minutes.

The Cougars came out firing in the fourth, with Jordan Blaskin and Maddison Hooper making consecutive treys to stretch their lead to 48-39 at the 7:30 mark. The shooting woes continued for the TWolves, as they failed to convert on open look after open look, with MRU extending their advantage to 55-41.

Eventually, the ugly shooting night concluded for the Timberwolves as they dropped a 61-47 decision to the Cougars on Friday, January 27th, 2023.

The TWolves managed to make just 15 of their 69 shots, shooting 21.7% from the field, and 12.9% from 3-point land on 4-of-31 efficiency. They also turned the ball over 31 times.

Shakirova was the leader offensively, going for 19 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. She was the only TWolf with more than four attempts who shot over 28.6%.

The Timberwolves get another crack at the Cougars on Saturday, January 28th at 4 PM PT at Mount Royal University.