ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – The University of the Fraser Valley men's basketball team was forced to settle for a weekend split, as the UNBC Timberwolves rode a strong second half to an 88-67 triumph on Saturday night at the UFV Athletic Centre.
 
The Cascades, coming off a 79-75 victory in the series opener on Friday, picked up where they left off in the rematch, leading for much of the first half.
 
But the T-Wolves found their flow offensively late in the second quarter, grabbing a 39-32 lead at the break, and they stepped on the gas from there, pulling away down the stretch.
 
When the dust had settled, both UFV and UNBC exited the weekend with matching 3-3 records.
 
"We definitely showed some youth in the second half," Cascades head coach Joe Enevoldson noted. "We're still a relatively youthful team across the board, and even our fifth-year guy (Courtney Anderson), it's his first year at this level, right? We showed some inexperience in the second half defensively. Credit to them – Chris Ross hit shots, Micah Jessie got going a little bit in the second half.
 
"We're starting to establish an identity in terms of who we are and who we want to be. We don't do a good job from the three-point line, we don't do a good job yet at the free throw line, and we're just leaving too many empty points off the board.
 
"They (UNBC) were definitely better tonight, but any time you turn the ball over 25 times, it's really tough to win a basketball game."
 
In the early parts of the game, it was the Cascades finding more success offensively, led by Anderson who scored a quick six points to establish a 12-6 advantage for UFV. Offensively, the Timberwolves struggled to find their rhythm, opening the game 2-for-13 from the field. 
 
UNBC would reel off a 13-2 run late in the second quarter, surging ahead 39-32 at halftime. Three-pointers by Darren Hunter, Evgeni Baukin and Fareed Shittu were the highlights for the visitors during that stretch.
  
Jessie and Ross excelled in the third quarter, scoring eight and six points, respectively, in the frame as UNBC continued to expand the lead. They cruised home from there, pushing the advantage beyond the 20-point plateau in the fourth.
 
UFV dominated on the glass, out-rebounding UNBC 44-34, but they coughed up 25 turnovers compared to a tidy 12 for the visitors.
 
Dhivaan Bhogal registered a double-double for the second consecutive night for the Cascades, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 boards. Anderson finished with 15 points, and Dario Lopez had 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench. 
 
Jessie led the T-Wolves with 19 points, to go along with five assists and four rebounds, while Ross had 18 points, six rebounds and four steals. Spencer Ledoux added 14 points.
 
The Cascades are on the road next weekend, facing the UBC Okanagan Heat in Kelowna.
 
- with files from Rich Abney, UNBC Athletics