The University of the Fraser Valley men's basketball team made a second-half surge behind a small-ball lineup, but the Manitoba Bisons' dominance on the glass carried them to a 93-86 victory on Friday evening in Winnipeg.
The Cascades (3-4) shot the ball well from beyond the arc (14-for-32), as they tend to do, and point guards
Parm Bains and
Vick Toor had big nights with 23 points apiece at Investors Group Athletic Centre.
But the Bisons (6-1) pulled through behind their work on the boards, out-rebounding the Cascades 47-31 while allowing UFV to collect just four of their own misses at the offensive end. Manitoba forward James Wagner tied the Cascades' duo for game-high scoring honours with 23 points to go with 12 boards, and guard Rashawn Browne also had a double-double with 14 points and 12 assists.
"They're one of the better rebounding teams in our league, so them out-rebounding us wasn't a huge surprise," UFV head coach
Adam Friesen said afterward. "But we do hope to make that number a little more even tomorrow."
Both teams generated great looks in the first quarter, however it was the Bisons who entered the second up 20-15.
Manitoba took over in the second, outscoring the Cascades 13-4 through the first five minutes and 26-17 overall. Browne facilitated across the lineup, recording nine assists through 20 minutes, while the Bisons shot 4-of-7 from beyond the arc in the frame.
Manitoba expanded the lead as high as 21 in the third, but the Cascades went to a small lineup at that juncture, with
Sukhjot Bains (who stands 6'6" but usually plays guard) the tallest UFV player on the floor. The move served to ignite the Cascades, as Toor and
Parm Bains revved the pace more to the visitors' liking. The Cascades cut the deficit down to five points, but the Bisons got into the bonus in the fourth quarter and were able to clinch the game from the free throw line late.
"We decided to try something different (with the small-ball lineup) and had some success, so we stuck with it," Friesen explained. "Their big guys were making life hard for us, but we were able to spread the floor and create some driving lanes."
Toor had a massive effort off the bench for the Cascades. In addition to his 23 points, he racked up five steals, six assists and zero turnovers in his 20 minutes of playing time.
"When he pushes the tempo and is being aggressive and attacking, he's such a spark for us," Friesen said of Toor. "He was able to sustain an attacking style of play for an extended period of time, and he performed great because of it."
Parm Bains, the Canada West leader in three-pointers made per game (4.7) outdid himself on this night, going 6-for-13 from beyond the arc.
Sukhjot Bains added 14 points,
Jaskarn Bajwa scored 10, and
Matt Cooley had six points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Andre Arruda (15 points) and Risto Zimbakov (14) also scored in double digits for the Bisons, and Cameron O'Hara hauled in 12 boards.
- with files from Mike Still, Bison Sports
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