WINNIPEG – Kache Kopec gave his Lakehead Thunderwolves a belated Christmas gift with a hot streak from downtown.
The freshman guard drained five three-pointers en route to a team-high 17 points to lead the Thunderwolves to a 72-64 victory over the Brandon Bobcats to open the Wesmen Classic men’s basketball tournament on Monday.
Fellow Thunderwolves guard scored 15 points and added 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Forward Bacarius Dinkins fouled out one rebound away from a double-double with 13 points and 9 boards.
The Bobcats led 29-27 after a sluggish first half but Lakehead stormed out in the third quarter with 24 points as the Thunderwolves started to dial in from beyond the arc.
Despite Kopec hitting on five of his 10 long-range attempts, the Thunderwolves finished 12-for-39 for three. Lakehead also struggled at the charity stripe, only hitting 12 of their 21 free throw attempts.
The Bobcats were powered by Earl Thompson Jr., who collected a game-high 23 points to go along with 11 rebounds.
Lakehead will take on either Acadia or MacEwan on Tuesday night.
