CALGARY – An undermanned University of the Fraser Valley men's basketball squad threw a mighty scare into the two-time defending Canada West champions, but the Calgary Dinos pulled away late for a 78-63 win in the conference quarter-finals on Friday.
The Cascades, missing top scorer and CW first team all-star
Parm Bains due to injury, led 33-30 at the half and were within three points heading to the fourth quarter. They ran out of gas in the final frame, though, as the hosts out-scored them 27-15 to seal the win.
The result spells the end of UFV's season, while the Dinos move on to the conference semifinals on Saturday to face the winner of Friday's late quarter-final between UBC and Saskatchewan.Â
"I'm very proud of the effort," Cascades head coach
Adam Friesen said afterward. "Being undermanned and going up against a team as talented as Calgary, the guys competed and believed they could do something special. We made it a very competitive game for three quarters and a bit. Just couldn't finish it up."
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The Cascades started slowly at the offensive end – they went just 5-for-15 in the first quarter, and Calgary opened a 19-11 lead. UFV's shots started falling in the second quarter, though – they knocked down five from beyond the arc, including three from
Sukhjot Bains, and rallied for a 33-30 lead at the break.
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Calgary opened the third quarter on a 7-0 run, but the Cascades stayed within striking distance, and were within 51-48 after
Daniel Adediran ended the frame with an acrobatic drive to the hoop.
The Dinos, though, scored the knockout punch with an 11-2 run to start the fourth. Noah Wharton lit the fuse, scoring seven points during that surge, and Calgary kept the Cascades at bay the rest of the way.
Sukhjot Bains led the Cascades with 15 points,
Sukhraj Bains came off the bench to spark the squad with 12 points and nine rebounds, and Adediran chipped in with 11 points and nine boards.
UFV did an outstanding job at the defensive end for much of the night – they limited Dinos leading scorer Brett Layton to just eight points on 3-of-12 shooting from the field, and Calgary mustered just 38.6 per cent from the field as a team. But Mason Foreman stepped up for the hosts with 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Wharton scored 14 off the bench.
The result brings the five-year university basketball careers of
Sukhjot Bains,Â
Parm Bains and
Matt Cooley to a conclusion.Â
"The years they gave the program, I can't thank them enough," Friesen said. "They gave their heart and their sweat and their tears. I'm really proud of them. They had good careers, and some great moments and memories they'll look back on fondly."
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