Abbotsford, BC – Dilveer Randhawa led the way for the UFV Cascades, scoring a game-high 22 points, but it was the defending national champion Victoria Vikes that took the win on Friday at the UFV Athletic Centre. 

The loss sees UFV drop to 0-2 on the year, while Victoria moves to 2-0.

How it happened:
UFV opened the game on a 7-2 run, but it didn't take long for the Vikes to hit back to take a 13-7 lead. The Cascades would turn the early tide once more, and a Randhawa triple at the end of the frame would keep it all square at 25 going into the second.

Slaymaker would hit a three of his own partway through the second to give the Vikes a 37-29 advantage, and despite a late push and a buzzer beating layup from Ismael Hernandez, the visitors took a five point lead into halftime.

A Marcus Flores jump shot in the third quarter tied it all back up at 53, and after the teams traded buckets for the rest of the quarter it was a two-point margin for the Vikes.

A pair of Shadynn Smid free throws capped off an early fourth quarter run for Victoria, as they took a 76-65 lead. UFV would muster one last push, as a Randhawa three cut the deficit to just five with a minute left, but that was as close as they would get.

Notable:
Randhawa scored 22 to lead the Cascades, while Ismael Hernandez added 18 points and five rebounds. 

Ethan Boag led Victoria with 20 points and seven boards, while Cameron Slaymaker added 15 points and nine rebounds. 

The Cascades were without key performers Dario Lopez, Clay Kurtz and Matthias Klim for the second straight game to start the season.

Quotable:
UFV guard Dilveer Randhawa

"We had a tough one against UBC last night, so at shoot this morning we just focused on giving our everything. We have nothing to lose. We are playing two top-five teams this weekend, so we just came in playing hard, playing for each other."

"I didn't have a particularly good game yesterday personally, so today I just talked to coach Joe [Enevoldson] about having a short memory and just coming out to play how I usually play."

Up Next:
The Cascades head on the road next weekend for a pair of matchups with their local rivals – the Trinity Western Spartans. Game times are set for 8pm on Friday and 6pm on Saturday in Langley.

To keep up with all the action follow the Cascades on social media at @ufvcascades, and visit the UFV Athletics website at gocascades.ca.