The offence dried up at an inopportune time for the University of the Fraser Valley men's basketball team, as the Manitoba Bisons erased a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter and won 80-74 in Winnipeg on Saturday.
The Cascades (3-5) led by as many as 10 points in the final frame, but the Bisons (7-1) locked them down over the final six minutes of regulation, ending the game on a 16-1 run.
"They made more plays than us down the stretch," UFV head coach
Adam Friesen noted. "We battled hard but we lost momentum, and we weren't able to find a way to get it back.
"They went to a zone (in the fourth quarter), and typically we're a pretty good shooting team, so I don't know how much that played into it. But we just lost the momentum. The pressure just keeps building and building, and if you're not able to get it back, sometimes you lose those games."
The first half featured back-and-forth action, with the Cascades taking a two-point lead (39-37) to the locker room after 10 lead changes over the first 20 minutes.
UFV opened the third quarter with a highlight-reel play as
Vick Toor lobbed to
Matt Cooley for an alley-oop, igniting a 16-7 run. But 10 points and two assists in the quarter from Keiran Zziwa kept the game within reach for Manitoba.
Rookie guard
Vlad Mihaila swished a pair of treys early in the fourth as UFV built a 67-57 lead, and the margin was 73-64 after Toor slashed to the bucket for a layup with just over six minutes remaining. But the Cascades struggled on offence the rest of the way, and at the other end of the floor, Manitoba got into the bonus and scored the last eight points of the game at the free throw line.
"Fraser Valley is the best offensive team we've seen this year, and down the stretch we made a couple adjustments in the way we were guarding and fortunately they went dry at the right time," Manitoba head coach Kirby Schepp said.
The Cascades were diminished by injuries on Saturday – starting guard
Kenan Hadzovic wasn't able to suit up, and
Jordyn Sekhon exited late in the second quarter with an apparent leg injury.
Toor and
Sukhjot Bains paced the Cascades with 15 points apiece,
Parm Bains (14) and
Matt Cooley (12) also scored in double figures, and Mihaila hit a trio of triples for nine points off the bench.
Zziwa was instrumental for the Bisons, scoring 22 points and adding six rebounds and five assists. Andre Arruda (17 points, 10 boards) had a double-double, and James Wagner (15) and Rashawn Browne (10) also scored in double figures.
The Cascades basketball teams now embark on the Christmas break, returning for a Jan. 3-4 doubleheader at home vs. the UBC Thunderbirds.
- with files from Nik Kowalski, Bison Sports
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