The UFV Cascades men’s basketball team reached a whole new level of heating up on Saturday.
The team recorded one of its best shooting halves ever to vault to an 84-69 win over the UBC-O Heat.
The Cascades entered the second half trailing 37-32 but then exploded for 30 points in the third quarter to cruise to the win.
UFV shot a remarkable 90 per cent from the three-point line, hitting nine of 10, and shot 74 per cent from the field in the second half. Head coach Adam Friesen said everything clicked in that third quarter.
“It was the tale of two halves,” he said. “First half it was hit or miss for us, but the second half was one of the hottest shooting halves I’ve ever seen. We didn’t expect that kind of scoring, but we came out with a good mindset, the effort was there and the shots were falling.”
Guard Vijay Dhillon led the way with 26 points and six rebounds, while Kevon Parchment added 20 points and nine assists. Mark Johnson picked up 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks.
Friesen said several of his players stepped up in the absence of big man Nate Brown, who went down with an injury on Friday.
“Kevon was great for us and to see him trust his teammates, especially on the second night when you know they will be trying to stop him was big,” he said. “I also thought Vijay played well and responded big for us tonight.”
The men’s team also defeated the Heat 79-67 on Friday. Parchment had a team high 19 points and seven rebounds, Johnson had 15 points and 10 boards, and Brown had 15 points and seven rebounds before his injury.
“We’re happy to come away with two wins against a quality team,” Friesen said.
The women’s team split the pair of games with the Heat, winning 68-50 on Friday and losing 63-59 on Saturday.
Transfer Shayna Cameron made a huge impact in her Canada West debut, scoring 27 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out five assists. Cameron previously starred for four years with the Quest Kermodes, winning back-to-back Pacwest titles with the club.
Saturday saw the Cascades come up short and the team struggled from the three-point line, only hitting four of 20. Kayli Sartori (17 points, six rebounds) led the way for UFV on Saturday, and Taylor Claggett had a team high 14 rebounds.
The teams next host the MacEwan Griffins on Friday and Saturday.
