The UNBC basketball teams ended their respective seasons on back-to-back winning notes and it was a tale of two individual players that caught regional attention.
Maria Mongomo and Tyrell Laing won the Canada West conference scoring titles after 2019-20 regular-season concluded Saturday night (Feb. 8), both averaging more than 20 points a game and breaking school records while doing so.
For Mongomo, she accumulated a total of 402 points this year, 20.1 points per game, four more than last season’s personal best and surpassing her previous school record of 17.9 points a night.
The graduating Spaniard edged UFV’s Taylor Claggett (19.6) and her teammate Madison Landry (19.1) to reach the scoring peak by posting a game-high 29 points for the T-Wolves in the final game of the year in Prince George this weekend.
She also led her team this year with a 46.5 field-goal percentage, going 47 for 101 from prime shooting range, 67 steals and total rebounds with 197, including 139 of those on defence.
Tyrell Laing went from being a seven-game starter to a seasoned superstar for UNBC’s men’s basketball program.
The Prince George Secondary School product averaged 21.9 points per game, netting 437 total points in his fourth-year with the Timberwolves and claiming the new school record as a result.
Trinity Western’s Ja’Qualyn Gilbreath had averaged 27 points through 14 games, but an administrative error by the school declared him ineligible to play the final six games of the Canada West season.
Laing was therefore given an open lane to the title, beating out Calgary’s Brett Layton by 1.4 points a night, but the T-Wolves were eliminated from playoff contention due to a Brandon upset over Manitoba.
Other notable efforts from this past year included women’s basketball forward Emma vanBruinessen, nabbing a tied-for-fourth conference finish in rebounds per game.
She had 10.2 per game in her fourth-year of eligibility, her first in a UNBC jersey, which was only 0.2 behind Claggett at the top.
Rebecca Landry’s first season was also one to remember for the Prince George post-secondary record books as the Duchess Park product cracked the top five in three categories for rookies.
Madison’s younger sister bucketed 123 points, fifth highest in team scoring this year, went 33.3 per cent around the arc and had 30 assists.
The Lady Timberwolves are on to the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season facing the Pronghorns in Lethbridge on Friday (Feb. 14).
