The UFV Cascades men’s basketball team (7-5) were pushed to the edge by the Manitoba Bisons (1-11) last night in Winnipeg, but still managed to squeak out the road win 84-83. UFV has now won four consecutive conference games, while the Bisons, with back-to-back one-point losses, have dropped 10 straight.
It was “kind of a coin flip game” said Bisons head coach Kirby Schepp, whose team clawed back from several deficits only to fall on a last-second missed jumper. The Cascades entered halftime up by six points, 44-38, but the third quarter belonged mostly to the Bisons as they drew several charge fouls and briefly took the lead. UFV rallied in the fourth and capitalized on costly Bison turnovers, but three late Manitoba three-pointers kept the Bisons in the game until the final buzzer.
Cascades forward Jasper Moedt had a monstrous game with 23 points and 16 rebounds, narrowly edging out Kevon Parchment (22 points, 9 rebounds) from his usual position as Cascades scoring leader. Just as on Friday, only seven Cascades saw the floor during the game.
Dan Penner led the Bisons with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Amarjit Basi finished with 14 points, including two clutch three-pointers at the end of the fourth quarter.
“The Bisons gave us a great test tonight and I feel very fortunate to walk away with the win,” said Cascades coach Adam Friesen. “As a team we showed great character and competitiveness throughout the weekend, and that is something we will continue to build on.”
The Cascades will play again on January 17 and 18 against the TRU Wolfpack in Kamloops, B.C.