They’re back, they’re bad, and they just lost to the Detroit Titans (but that’s okay!)
By Cascades Media . The UFV Cascades men’s basketball team hit the court in uniform today for the first time since early March, and while they seemed a little rusty, it was OH SO GOOD to have them back!
Photo: Mallory Donen
The Cascades took on the University of Detroit Mercy Titans (NCAA) at the Envision Athletic Centre (EAC), and fell 81-70 to a team only a little more than a year removed from a ‘March Madness’ championship tournament appearance. The Titans looked good, very good, and yet the Cascades have grown up a little as well. They now sport a bigger (physically and numerically) roster, a more veteran squad, and a head coach with back-to-back Canada West Final Four appearances.
Detroit came into the game already having vanquished the first two challengers on their Canadian schedule, and seeking a third ‘W’ before tomorrow’s game against the TWU Spartans. The Titans beat Quest University 119-74 on Thursday, UBC 86-78 on Friday, and are in serious danger of emerging from this road trip undefeated. While the Cascades couldn’t wrest one away from Detroit today, they stayed in the game for all four quarters and never looked more than a basket or two away from a serious challenge.
Third-year transfer Nate Brown was the hero of the hour for UFV, scoring 23 points and grabbing nine rebounds. In the frantic minutes of the first quarter, after the Titans scored the first six points and looked to be starting a run, Brown answered with the Cascades’ first seven points. Battling on the boards and drawing fouls, he showed exactly why coach Adam Friesen is so excited about his presence in the paint this season.
Jasper Moedt finished with the double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds) for the Cascades, while Manny Dulay grabbed 14 (4-7 from behind the arc), and Dominique Brooks put up nine. The Cascades trailed all game, but narrowed the deficit to five points (42-47) in the second minute of the third quarter. Unfortunately, that was the closest UFV would get to a lead.
The Titans were led by Patrick Onwenu with 19 points, and Jarod Williams with 14. Detroit went only 3-9 from the line, but ripped the Cascades apart from field-goal range with a 50 percent shooting average.
“That was a good first game, and I’m really looking forward to the season,” said Friesen. “I saw a lot of good things, our guys competed hard and played tough, and those will be our building blocks moving forward. We are far deeper than we were last year, and we have significant weapons at all positions.”