Abbotsford, BC – Dario Lopez scored 24 points in the opening half to help propel the UFV Cascades to an 80-66 victory over the UBC Okanagan Heat on Friday at the UFV Athletic Centre. 

With the victory the Cascades improve to 1-2 on the season, while the Heat drop to 1-2. 

How it happened:
The teams battled back and forth early on, with a pair of Lopez free throws extending the UFV lead to 19-13, but the Heat responded with a pair of buckets to get back within two at the end of the opening frame. 

A pair of triples from Dilveer Randhawa opened up a bit more space for Lopez again in the second, as the UFV forward closed out the half by scoring the last 10 UFV points and the hosts led by 11 at the break. 

The Cascades found scoring secondary scoring from almost everywhere in the third, outscoring their opponent 24-9 in the quarter, and despite a late push from the Heat In the fourth quarter UFV closed it out for their first victory of the season.

Notable:
Lopez finished the game with 28 points for UFV, while Clay Kurtz had 11 points and seven boards, and Randhawa scored nine on three of three shooting on the night. 

Quotable:
Cascades forward Dario Lopez

"I felt like we were all doing a good job of getting the plays we wanted, getting guys to their spot, and thanks to my teammates and thanks to Joe [Enevoldson] I was able to convert. I was feeling comfortable with the touches I was getting and feeling good with my shooting today."

"It's good to bounce back at home against a big team, a strong team. That's important for us. Tomorrow, we have to focus on getting them to play our game for the forty minutes, and not let them play their game. Don't let them get to their spots, make them uncomfortable throughout the game."

Up next:
The two teams meet up once again on Saturday afternoon at the UFV Athletic Centre to close out the weekend set. Tip-off is set for 5pm, and the game can also be seen live on Canada West TV. 

Cascades home games offer free admission for UFV students with their student card. You can keep up with all the action at gocascades.ca, or by following the UFV Cascades on social media at @ufvcascades