This weekend the UFV men’s basketball team began their first road trip of 2020. The Cascades were hosted by the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) in Prince George for games on both Friday night and Saturday night.
Although the Cascades were coming off a journey inland, it didn’t take long for them to find the first basket of the night. With less than 15 seconds off the clock, the Cascades’ Matt Cooley was able to drop the ball into the basket with a layup for the first two points of the game. The Cascades, however, were not able to keep the lead for long. Nearly 15 seconds after the Cascades’ first two points, UNBC’s Vova Pluzhnikov took the lead with a basket from the three-point line. This back-and-forth attack continued throughout the rest of the quarter.
Heading into the second, the two teams were tied at 19 points. While the Cascades and the Timberwolves were eager to break the tie, the two teams continued evenly scoring for most of the second quarter. With just under a minute left in the first half, the score was tied at 42-42. Although it looked as if the two teams would take the tie with them into the second half, both Cooley and Sukhjot Bains of the Cascades were able to sink a two-point shot within the last 36 seconds.
The second half of the game started with the Cascades leading by only four points, 46-42; however, they were able to hold the lead for the rest of the game. In the third and fourth quarter the visitors were able to outscore the Timberwolves 41-30, which resulted in a 87-72 win for the Cascades.
The Cascades entered their Saturday game against the Timberwolves with confidence. After only two minutes of play, the Cascades were able to score their 11th point of the game, while the hosting team was at three. Although UNBC eventually started to chip away at the Cascades’ lead, UFV was still able to leave the quarter with a lead of 20-16.
At the beginning of the second quarter, the Timberwolves eventually tied the game at 22 points. With the tying basket, the home team looked like they were gaining momentum, but the fans were quickly silenced when the Cascades increased their score by 16 in the same time the Timberwolves scored five.
The second half started with the Cascades up 43-33. This lead continued throughout the third; however, it was the fourth quarter where the Cascades showed their dominance over their northern opponent. The fourth quarter started with the Cascades leading 62-47. In the last quarter UFV was able to grab another 25 points, while UNBC scored another 11. This resulted in the Cascades winning their third game in a row, with a score of 87-58.
The Cascades will continue their road trip next weekend in Langley, against the Trinity Western Spartans on Thursday, before hosting the same team two days later. The first of the two games will be on Jan. 16, with a start time of 8 p.m., and Jan. 18 with a start time of 7 p.m.
Image: UFV Athletics
Photo: Matt Cooley
