The University of the Fraser Valley men's basketball team showcased some stylistic versatility on Saturday, defeating the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack on the road to chalk up their ninth straight win.
On Friday, the Cascades had flexed their offensive muscles, lighting up the scoreboard in
a 100-91 win over the WolfPack to open the weekend series in Kamloops. Saturday's rematch took on a more defensive-minded texture, and the UFV squad showed they can thrive under those circumstances, limiting TRU to 40.8 per cent shooting from the field and winning the battle of the boards 46-35 to emerge triumphant by a final score of 82-73.
The result boosted the Cascades' record to 12-6, good for sixth in Canada West, while the WolfPack's fourth straight loss saw them fall to 11-7.
"It took a full team effort, and it took something we struggled with the last few weeks – 40 minutes of focused, disciplined defence," UFV head coach
Adam Friesen said afterward. "The boys were pretty locked in for the full 40 tonight."
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A back-and-forth first quarter saw the host WolfPack lead 22-18 after 10 minutes, but the Cascades caught fire in the second.
Sukhjot Bains set the tone, opening the quarter with back-to-back treys as UFV racked up 27 points in the frame to grab a 45-40 lead at the half.
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TRU showed its defensive chops in the third, surrendering just 11 points in the quarter, and went up 56-51 on Brendan Sullivan's long triple with 1:20 left. But
Daniel Adediran responded with five straight UFV points (a trey and a putback) to level the score 56-56 heading to the fourth.
Jordyn Sekhon opened the final frame with a three-pointer to snap the tie, and
Kenan Hadzovic sparked the Cascades off the bench with a steal-and-score layup and a three-pointer in quick succession to push the lead to 67-59. TRU mustered a 10-3 run in response, and with 4:55 remaining, Tyus De Vries hit a pair of free throws to draw his team to within 70-69. But the Cascades bounced back with six straight points – a trey from
Sukhjot Bains and an old-fashioned three-point play from Adediran – to seize control, and they maintained a two-possession lead the rest of the way.
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Adediran racked up a team-high 21 points to go with eight rebounds, and Bains had 20 points and eight boards of his own, leading the defensive effort and scoring a series of clutch buckets down the stretch for the Cascades.
"His defence and his rebounding were outstanding, for sure," Friesen said of Bains, who went 6-of-11 from beyond the arc. "And the timely hoops he had and the way he finished the game was what we needed to pull this out in the end."
Parm Bains chipped in with 12 points and seven assists for UFV, and
Matt Cooley (10 points, 10 rebounds, five assists) had a double-double.
Michael Roualt had a big night for the WolfPack with 25 points and 12 boards, Anton Bilous scored 15, and Joe Davis scored 11.
The Cascades basketball teams are back at home next weekend to host their final games of the regular season. They take on the Regina Cougars on Friday (women 6 p.m., men 8 p.m.) and Saturday (women 5 p.m., men 7 p.m.).
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