LETHBRIDGE, AB – Dario Lopez notched 41 points as he led the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades to a 102-88 victory of the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns on Friday night in Lethbridge. Lopez shined from the start of the game, notching 24 first half points on the way to matching the Cascades Canada West record for points in a game set by Sam Freeman in 2013.
The win moves the Cascades to 4-7 on the season so far, while the Pronghorns drop to 1-12.
The first quarter saw the Pronghorns and Cascades exchange the lead, as both teams battled to find a break in the game. While it was the Cascades who started the scoring off a jumper by Lopez, Kymani Pollard earned a number of buckets for the Pronghorns in the opening minutes. With 12 first quarter points from Lopez, the Cascades led 28-22 to start the second quarter.
In the second quarter, Sebastian Perez and Joe Lemieux contributed to the scoring for the Pronghorns bringing the game back to even, but Lopez continued to put the pressure on the hosts adding 12 more points in the second quarter and helping his team to a 51-45 lead at the break.
Jack-Henry Fox-Grey broke down the Cascades' defense to earn back-to-back buckets in the paint to bring the Pronghorns back within reach, and Kevin Ibula scored a three-pointer for the Horns to give them the third quarter lead. For the Cascades, Lopez and Matthias Klim continued their scoring effort and the third quarter ended with both teams tied at 69.
To start the fourth, Fox-Grey got the Horns an early basket, drilling a corner three for the home team. On the other end, UFV were relentless at taking the ball to hoop forcing the Horns to foul. Lopez continued to add to his scoring total, earning points on back-to-back possessions for the Cascades allowing the visitors to regain the lead. Dylan Kinley knocked down a shot beyond the arc for his 18th point of the game, stretching the Cascades lead to 10 with less than four minutes to go. UFV with a bit of space, didn't let up as the final minutes counted down, and the Cascades emerged victorious 102-88.
Lopez led all players with his 41 points and nine rebounds, while UFV's Kinley added 23 points, six boards, and five assists. Clay Kurtz tallied a career-high 18 points as well for the visitors.
"Dario had a spectacular night tonight," noted UFV head coach Joe Enevoldson. "He was very efficient and took good shots. He was really in his wheelhouse."
"We have been in a lot of close games with five minutes to go, and unfortunately this year we have been on the other side of them. Ultimately though, tonight was a together win. Guys stepped up and played for each other -- hopefully we can build on that. We have to establish an identity on the offensive side, and we went a long way towards that tonight."
Jack Henry Fox Grey led the Pronghorns with 30 points, while Kymani Pollard and Shae Gibb each added 14 points for the hosts.
The teams come together again on Saturday for a 6 p.m. PT tipoff at the University of Lethbridge Gymnasium in Lethbridge.
