The University of the Fraser Valley men's basketball team wrapped up its preseason schedule by splitting a weekend set vs. the Victoria Vikes.

Weather-related travel delays played havoc with Friday's schedule – due to ferry cancellations, the Cascades only arrived in Victoria at 7 p.m., which is when their game was supposed to start. The start time was moved back by an hour, and when it was all said and done, the UFV squad was on the wrong end of a 92-75 decision.

The Cascades turned in a much better performance on Saturday, earning an 83-73 victory.

"Defensively we needed to be a lot better (than on Friday), and we used it to motivate ourselves for today," UFV head coach Adam Friesen said. "The biggest thing for us was we defended with a lot more energy and competed on the glass. They're a big, physical team and on Friday they had their way on the glass. Today we hung in there."

FRIDAY: UVIC 92, UFV 75

The Vikes opened a 26-17 lead at the end of the first quarter and kept the Cascades at bay from there. The hosts won the battle of the boards 42-34 and went to the free throw line 27 times compared to UFV's five. The Vikes also shot extremely efficiently, hitting 54.1 per cent from the field and 43.8 per cent from beyond the arc.

Sukhjot Bains, returning from injury to play his first preseason game of the fall, had a big game for the Cascades, scoring a game-high 21 points including 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. Matt Cooley added 11 points and seven boards, and Parm Bains registered eight assists.

Six Vikes scored in double figures, led by Dominick Oliveri and Aaron Tesfagiorgis with 16 points apiece, and Oliveri added a game-high 14 rebounds.

SATURDAY: UFV 83, UVIC 73

A strong second quarter gave the Cascades a 38-29 lead at halftime, and they were able to push the lead to double digits in the third. UVic drew back to within 74-70 in the fourth, but UFV responded with a 9-0 run to seal the win.

The Cascades closed the gap slightly on the boards in the rematch (UVic held a 42-37 edge), led by eight rebounds – all in the second half – from guard Kenan Hadzovic. Parm Bains led the way offensively, hitting six three-pointers on his way to a game-high 28 points, and Sukhjot Bains scored 17.

Diego Maffia's 14 points on 6-of-17 shooting were a team-high for the Vikes, and Matthew Ellis and Jason Scully had 13 apiece.

UP NEXT: The Cascades basketball teams tip off the 2019-20 Canada West regular season next week on the road vs. the Winnipeg Wesmen (Nov. 1-2). Home-opening weekend is Nov. 15-16 vs. the UBC Okanagan Heat.