Abbotsford, BC- It was an alumni night to remember for Bennett O'Connor and the UFV Cascades men's basketball team, as they broke out their UCFV inspired retro blue jerseys and defeated the nation's No. 3 ranked team, the UBC Thunderbirds, for the second consecutive day.

UFV's 90-79 win boosts the team's record to 11-6 in Canada West, as they try to chase down the 12-4 Thunderbrds for second in the Canada West pacific division and a chance to host in the playoffs.

How it happened:
UFV got off to a blazing start, with Bennett O'Connor, Dario Lopez, Ismael Hernandez and Matthias Klim all hitting threes early on to help the Cascades build a 17-7 advantage. However, the Thunderbirds would claw back to cut into the deficit and a Nylan Roberts triple would make it a five-point game going into the second.

O'connor, who was forced to leave the game for the final 1:29 of the first quarter with a cut, received treatment in time to check back in to start the second and lead all scorers in the frame with nine points. The teams would trade points through most of the second, but a 9-1 run from UFV was given an exclamation point with a Dilveer Randhawa jumper at the buzzer to see the Cascades lead by 15 at the break.

The Thunderbirds would not go away quietly however, as they started the third with a 17-4 run with Roberts hitting another triple to cut the deficit to just two. Both teams would trade blows through the next five minutes before Randhawa would hit another timely strike from beyond the arc to put UFV up seven with 10 minutes to play.

UBC would try to gain ground in the fourth, but for every shot made it seemed like the Cascades had a response with O'Connor. The point guard scored 13 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, including a massive three pointer to virtually seal the game with 1:47 to go, as UFV outscored the Thunderbirds 21-17 in the frame to come away with the 90-79 victory.

Notable:
O'Connor had a game-high 27 points to go along with five assists in the contest, while Jaylen Lee score 15 points and had five board off the bench. Forward Matthias Klim added 11 rebounds, and also chipped in two blocks as he pushed his program blocks record to over 100 in his career.

UFV got scoring contributions from each player that stepped on the court in the game. All 10 players involved scored at least two points each.

Roberts led UBC with 25 points and 14 rebounds, while Nikola Guzina had 19 points and Holt Tomie had 17 points and six assists.

The Cascades had not swept UBC in a weekend since November of 2013.

Quotable:
UFV guard Bennett O'Connor
"I got a busted lip, and some guys are going through injuries, but we battled through and I'm really proud of the guys. It's a great weekend for us." 

"Any guy on this team can go off, and whatever is going to get us to win we'll take. Tonight, it just happened to be me, but it's a team effort. We all come in with the same mindset that we're just trying to get wins… We can't be satisfied. Respect to UBC, they're a tough opponent. Now we just have to get back on Monday and keep going."

UFV forward Jaylen Lee
"We're trying not to get too high, and just keep staying consistent. Building off the good things we did this game, and cleaning up the bad stuff."

"The brotherhood we have here, for me, everyone can look to the tenth guy and trust him – it's a special feeling. Getting a chance to play with my brother and compete with him and to have these jersey at the end of the night and seeing all the alumni here supporting, it's pretty special. Especially with grandfather and dad, just trying to keep building on what they made 26 years ago."

UFV head coach Joe Enevoldson
"This can't be our national championship. It's great. It's a signature weekend for us, but that can't be it. We have to come ready to work, and I've told the men – enjoy it Sunday, but be ready for reality on Monday at practice because we still have to get better."

"While we had a great weekend, on Monday it's over and we have to be all eyes forward to Trinity."

Up Next:
The Cascades are home again next weekend for a single game on Friday against their local rivals from Trinity Western. Tip-off is set for 8pm, and the game will also be the team's annual senior night where they will be celebrating their graduating players.

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