EDMONTON – In a hyper-competitive playoff opener, the No. 6 seeded Fraser Valley Cascades advanced to the Canada West Quarter-Final with a 73-67 win over the No. 11 seed Regina Cougars, Friday afternoon at Saville Community Sports Centre.
Tied at 65's late in the fourth quarter, UFV went on an 8-2 run to close the game and will now take on the No. 3 seed Alberta Golden Bears in tomorrow afternoon's quarter-final. Friday afternoon's Play-In game saw neither team lead by more than eight, with the Cascades leading for a majority of the contest. The game also saw five lead changes and eight ties in a game decided by the smallest of margins.
Bennett O'Connor scored a game-high 22 points for UFV, adding four rebounds and three assists, while going 11/12 from the free throw line in the win. Dilveer Randhawa added 13, with Ismael Hernandez dropping 12.
"This was a great win for us today. Regina is a really good team, and it was a physical game. Just happy to get this one and focus on tomorrow," said O'Connor. "We have a very experienced team, and we play composed. Every day in practice we go as hard at each other as we can. And that's what makes us so strong, mentally and physically."
For Regina, Lodie Kenyi paced the visitors with 16 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Ben Kamba matched him with 16 points and five boards, and Kaz Dornstauder added 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Regina struck first in the opening quarter, as Kamba converted a jump shot followed by a Kenyiwith a layup to build a 4-0 lead. Fraser Valley answered from distance when O'Connor knocked down a three, giving the Cascades their first edge. Kenyi kept Regina close with a jumper in the final seconds, trimming the deficit to 21-19 after one.
The second quarter featured five lead changes. Randhawa hit a three and later added a layup to push UFV ahead 26-20. Regina responded midway through the frame as a Dornstauder tied the game at 30's.
A late jumper by O'Connor and a layup from Randhawa helped UFV take a 40-38 halftime lead.
In the third, Regina briefly drew even at 40-40 after an early make. The Cascades regained control through a pair of Hernandez made shots, followed by O'Connor free throws to give UFV a 57-52 lead after three.
A back-and-forth final quarter saw UFV stretch their lead to seven, however a quick 7-0 run tied the game at 65-65. O'Connor answered at the line, scoring six of his 22 points in the final three minutes, all from the free throw line, to secure the six-point win.
Tip-off for tomorrow's quarter-final is set for 1:30 p.m. at Saville Centre.
To keep up with all the action follow the Cascades on social media at @ufvcascades and visit the UFV Athletics website at gocascades.ca.
About UFV
Located in the beautiful Fraser Valley just east of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) is a fully accredited, public university that enrolls approximately 15,000 students per year. UFV has campuses and locations in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, and Hope, and a growing presence in Chandigarh, India.
