Kelowna, BC – Ismael Hernandez scored 25 points for the UFV Cascades on Saturday, as they claimed an 82-79 victory over the UBC Okanagan Heat on Saturday in Kelowna. 

The win sees UFV end the season with a 13-7 record, while UBCO finishes at 3-17.

How it Happened:
An Amari Jones buzzer beater at the end of the second quarter put the Cascades up by 12 points, but UBCO chipped away, cutting the advantage to just seven going into the fourth. 

Back-to back triples from Ismael Hernandez would make it a 12-point game once again early in the fourth, but the Heat continued to battle and a Gudmund Rothing triple would make it a three-point game with just over three minutes to go. Isaak Moore would get a layup to go to make it a one-point game with a minute to go but, after the teams traded buckets from Hernandez and Mathias Schertzer, a pair of Dario Lopez free throws with 12 seconds left forced a desperation shot from the Heat that would not go. 

Notable:
Hernandez led the way for the Cascades with 25 points and seven rebounds, while Dario Lopez had 13 points and eight boards. Bennett O'Connor chipped in 12 points, and Jones and Kells added six points and five points off the bench respectively.

Jalen Shirley led the Heat with 24 points on the night, while Moore added 15 for the hosts.

Quotable:
UFV head coach Joe Enevoldson

"Kudos to them, they played well on senior night, and they had a bunch of threes. We gutted one out. Izzy [Hernandez] had a fantastic night again. I thought Mateo Kells came off the bench and did a hell of a job for us, as did Amari [Jones]."

"We're going into playoffs as winning six of our last seven games, and in the playoffs you have to play your best basketball. I think we're starting to get closer to that."

Up next:
With the playoff picture now set, the Cascades will travel to Edmonton for their first round matchup with the University of Regina, with the winner moving on to face the University of Alberta.

Dates and times will be released by Canada West in the coming days. Stay tuned to Gocascades.ca or follow the Cascades at @ufvcascades on social media to stay up to date.