Canada West Men's Basketball Weekend Results - November 24-25
Nov. 24th
UBCO 61 – UFV 68
Nov. 25th
UBCO 67 – UFV 86
The UFV Cascades emerged with a pair of victories in the only all BC encounter of the weekend, climbing to a 4-6 record to close out November. The Cascades were led by forward Mark Johnson who logged over 38 minutes in both games, scoring a total of 46 points over the two games including an electric 29 point performance on Saturday night. The fourth quarter woes that plagued UFV the week prior were a distant memory as the young Cascades’ defense was locked in, holding the Heat to only 11 fourth quarter points in the tight affair Friday night.
The Heat’s offense was stifled all weekend. Offensive leader Aldrich Berrios was also held in check both nights as the Heat shot a paltry 32.4% and 34.3% in the pair of road games. UBCO will look to snap their four game losing skid when they return home next weekend to host the University of Manitoba Bisons. Meanwhile, the surging Cascades head eastwards to take on the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns with an eye on returning to .500 to finish the calendar year.
Nov. 24th
UBC 83 – Winnipeg 67
Nov. 25th
UBC 100 – Winnipeg 54
The Thunderbirds relied upon their high powered offense to ensure two clinical wins on the road this weekend. Dynamic scorer Conor Morgan was a dominant force, shooting 17-29 over the two game stretch. Morgan has steadily returned to the level of play that earned him Canada West Most Outstanding Player last season, helping to lead the ‘Birds on a six game win streak. While UBC’s Friday night victory was steady from wire to wire, Coach Hanson’s squad absolutely blew the doors open Saturday marching to a 24-4 lead by the end of the first quarter.
UBC’s early season losses to the University of Calgary Dinos seem a distant memory as the seventh ranked team in the nation have blitzed their opposition in recent weeks. The Thunderbirds return home to War Memorial Gym this weekend as they will take on University of Regina to close out the first half of the season. UBC will head to Las Vegas during the Christmas break to finetune their chemistry in preparation for the playoff stretch of the Canada West season.
Nov. 24th
TRU 74 @ Mt. Royal 91
Nov. 25th
TRU 65 @ Mt. Royal 61
The TRU Wolfpack left Calgary with a sigh of relief, splitting their two games against the Cougars and ending their six game losing streak. After a disappointing opening game that Mt. Royal led wire-to-wire, the Wolfpack bounced back with a valiant performance on the defensive end of the floor on Saturday night. The key to TRU’s success was to keep the two-pronged attack of LJ Hegwood and Josh Ross in check. The Cougars’ leading scorers combined for 41 points during Friday’s win, but were confined to only 17 points the next night. Wolfpack duo Joe Davis and Luke Morris set the tone on the glass, averaging 10.5 and 9 rebounds over the weekend.
The Wolfpack have already tightened their rotation to only seven players most night this season. The squad is thin and struggling to click offensively, however they will look to build off of their defensive performance Saturday night in which they held the Cougars to 31% shooting. TRU host UNBC next weekend and must sweep the doubleheader to remain within striking distance of a playoff spot.
Nov. 24th
UNBC 78 – Grant MacEwan 75
Nov. 25th
UNBC 85 – Grant MacEwan 83
The games of the weekend in Canada West play came out of Edmonton as the UNBC Timberwolves scraped two victories together against Grant MacEwan. UNBC now hold an impressive 4-0 record on the road so far. Friday night was a back and forth affair in which each team traded blows, however Volodymyr Pluzhnikov emerged as the difference maker with 29 points, Pluzhnikov calmly hit four consecutive free throws to clinch the victory down the stretch. However, Saturday night was an entirely different contest as the Timberwolves almost squandered a 26 point halftime lead. The Griffins steamrolled throughout the third quarter, however their comeback fell agonizingly short.
UNBC will happily continue their road travels as they head to Kamloops to take on the TRU Wolfpack next weekend. The Timberwolves will head to Dalhousie during the Christmas break to compete in the Shoveller Tournament.