A four-point play from Brett Warren in the dying seconds of regulation lifted the Lethbridge Pronghorns to a 73-72 victory over the University of the Fraser Valley men's basketball team on Friday evening at the Envision Financial Athletic Centre.
With the Pronghorns trailing 72-69 and the shot clock turned off, Warren took a pass on the right wing, pump-faked as UFV defender
Sukhjot Bains flew past him, then fired from beyond the arc. With the shot on its way – and it would find the bottom of the net – Cascades centre
Matt Cooley came in late and bumped Warren after he'd landed and was whistled for a foul. Warren made the ensuing free throw to give the visitors a 73-72 lead with 16 seconds remaining.
The Cascades had a chance to reclaim the lead, but Bains's heavily contested three-point attempt hit the back iron and the Pronghorns (3-4) escaped with a big road win.
The two teams wrap up the weekend series on Saturday (7 p.m., CanadaWest.tv) at the EFAC.
"It stings a lot, because we had something to do with the outcome, and it wasn't just the final possession," Cascades head coach
Adam Friesen said. "Giving up 27 turnovers and 14 offensive rebounds doesn't do any favours.
"I think a lot of it (with the turnovers) was trying to do too much. When we keep it simple, we tend to get some pretty good looks. But a lot of our turnovers, I don't think were forced. They were unforced, and knowing that leaves a bad taste in our mouths."
The Cascades had a solid start to the game – they built a 19-15 lead at the end of the first quarter, and opened the second on a 7-0 run with five of those points coming off the fingertips of
Vlad Mihaila.
The Pronghorns, though, would cut the deficit to 41-35 at the break, and they reeled off a 14-0 run in the third quarter to grab a 51-46 advantage. Keanu Funa lit the fuse for Lethbridge, scoring seven points in that stretch.
The Cascades reclaimed control in the fourth, and led 72-68 after Cooley hit a turnaround jumper with just over two minutes left in regulation.
But after Chad Oviatt split a pair of free throws and a couple defensive stops, the Pronghorns got the ball back in the dying seconds hoping to tie, but improbably surged ahead on the rare four-point play by Warren.
The Cascades did a lot of good things defensively, holding the Pronghorns 16 below their season average in points, on just 36.5 per cent shooting from the field. But the 27 turnovers (vs. just 14 for the 'Horns) was their undoing.
Funa finished with 19 points for Lethbridge, and Warren scored 13.
Sukhjot Bains and
Parm Bains racked up 20 points apiece for the Cascades, and
Jaskarn Bajwa (eight points) and Mihaila (seven) chipped in off the bench.
Sukhjot Bains (16 rebounds) and Cooley (10) both snared double-digit rebounds.