After hosting the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds two weeks ago and traveling to Prince George last weekend to take on the University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves, the UFV men’s basketball team went into their two-game showdown against the Trinity Western University (TWU) Spartans with a three-game winning streak.
The first of the two games saw the Spartans host the Cascades in Langley on Thursday, Jan. 16. Eager to continue their winning streak, they started the first quarter full of energy. Each team started off scoring, but soon the Cascades created a dominating lead. By the time the first quarter was half over, they had doubled the Spartans’ score, 16-8. This came when Cascades’ Sukhjot Bains drained a basket from outside the three-point line. From there, the Cascades continued to increase their lead until the buzzer signalling the end of the first quarter went off.
When the game resumed for the second quarter, the score was 32-17, for the Cascades. This gap in the score did not last for very long, however. Throughout the second, the Spartans began chiseling away at the Cascades’ lead, until Spartans’ Isaiah Reimer brought their team to within two points with a layup from in the key. With two minutes still left on the clock after Reimer’s basket, the Cascades were able to bring their lead back up to five points, with a score of 50-45.
Once the first half was out of the way, the Cascades looked to regain the momentum they had in the first quarter. In the third quarter, UFV was able to outscore TWU by eight points. This brought the score of the game to 78-65 entering the last quarter. Despite being outscored by the Spartans in the fourth quarter, the lead created in the third by the Cascades was too much for Trinity Western to overcome. When the final buzzer went off on Thursday’s game, the score was 96-87, in favour of the Cascades.
After winning the first match between the two teams as the visitors, the Cascades returned home for Saturday’s game. Much like the game held two days prior, the first quarter saw the Cascades create a substantial lead. By the time the second quarter had started, they led with a score of 31-15. Unlike the previous game, however, the Cascades continued to add to their lead throughout the second quarter. By the time the first half had ended, the Cascades held a lead of 20 points, with a score of 52-32.
The second half was more hopeful for the Spartans, as it saw them score as many points as the Cascades in the third quarter, and even outscore them in the fourth. Although the Spartans continued to fight for the game throughout the latter half, the Cascades’ dominance in the former was the reason UFV left with another win in the weekend. The final score of the game was 107-95.
The Cascades now head into next weekend with a five-game win streak. The UFV men’s basketball team’s next games will be on Friday, Jan. 24 and Saturday, Jan. 25 in Calgary, against the Mount Royal University Cougars.
Image: UFV Athletics
Photo: Parm Bains
