The University of the Fraser Valley men's basketball team's 10-game win streak came to an end at the hands of the Victoria Vikes on Saturday evening, as the hosts prevailed 78-75 in a game that went down to the wire.

Down three points in the dying seconds, Cascades sharpshooter Parm Bains – who had drained six triples earning in the evening – had two attempts from downtown bounce off the rim and out.

That allowed the Vikes (6-8) to escape with a much-needed win, while the Cascades fell to 11-5 – still good for a share of fourth place in Canada West.

"It was a really exciting game," UFV head coach Adam Friesen said. "We came out on the short end today, but Victoria played really well. They were really hungry. A couple decisions here and there on our part could have made life a little bit easier on us, but it's a great opportunity to learn. They're such a well-coached team, we knew at the end of this weekend we were going to become a better team for it. And I think that's what's going to happen."

After two tightly contested quarters of play, the Cascades held a narrow 43-41 lead at halftime thanks in large part to the three-point shooting of the Bains. The fourth-year guard was 5-for-8 from beyond the arc and tallied a total of 19 points in the first half.

Neither team could gain separation until the early stages of the fourth quarter, when the Cascades reeled off a 10-0 run – bookended by triples from Sukhjot Bains and Parm Bains – to go up 67-59 with seven minutes left in regulation.

The Vikes, though, responded with a 15-4 surge, highlighted by seven points from Jake Newman, to grab a 74-71 lead with two and a half minutes left.

UFV answered quickly to reclaim the advantage after back-to-back buckets by Mark Johnson and Parm Bains. The home side seized back the lead after yet another basket from Newman followed by a pair of free throws by Aaron Tesfagiorgis with 11 seconds left. After the second Tesfagiorgis free throw, Parm Bains raced upcourt, but his step-back three rimmed out. Johnson fought for the rebound and sent it back out to Bains, but his second attempt also drew iron, and the buzzer sounded.

"We'll live and die with Parm Bains shooting jumpers," Friesen said of the Cascades' leading scorer, who finished with a team-high 24 points. "The guys battled and competed, and we'll accept what happened and move on.

"This was a playoff-calibre kind of game, and it's a good lesson for us moving forward to the playoffs hopefully in a few weeks."

UFV carved out a 52-42 edge in the rebounding department, and a trio of Cascades posted double-doubles: Vick Toor (17 points, 11 rebounds), Sukhjot Bains (16 points, 10 boards) and Johnson (10 points, 12 boards).

Newman finished with a team-high 23 for the Vikes, Jordan Charles scored 21, and Scott Kellum had 10.

The Cascades now enjoy a bye week, and return to action Jan. 25-26 as they host the reigning U SPORTS national champion Calgary Dinos at the Envision Financial Athletic Centre.

- with files from Braedan Willis, Victoria Vikes communications