KELOWNA, B.C. - Bringing the thrill back to home court, the UBC Okanagan men's basketball team dominated the first half and then held off a late surge to win 73-70 over the Thompson Rivers WolfPack on Friday night at UBCO Gymnasium.
The Heat stormed onto the court in the opening half, quickly securing control of the match. In a crucial second-quarter play, Jalen Shirley (Brampton, Ont.)Â launched a shot from beyond the arc, but it bounced off the rim. Lamine Conde, the rookie guard from Montreal, instantly ignited the crowd with a massive putback, sending the Heat bench into a frenzy.
The excitement continued just a minute later as Conde wasn't finished. He snatched the ball from the TRU player, perfectly timing a two-handed jam that lit up the stands with just 2:54 left in the second half, giving the Heat a 10-point cushion.
Entering the second half with an 11-point lead, the Heat saw the WolfPack push back, cutting into the deficit until a sweet Shirley feed found Elan Kimpton-Cuellar of Roberts Creek, B.C., who capped the play with another slam for the Heat.
In the final frame, the WolfPack were able to cut the deficit to a single point on multiple occasions, but each time the Heat had an answer as they got crucial free throws down the stretch from Kimpton-Cuellar and Conde to come away with the win.
Shirley led the charge with an impressive 18 points in a game-high 37 minutes, while Gavin Ashworth (Grande Prairie, Alta.) and Kimpton-Cuellar (Roberts Creek, B.C.) added 13 each to their name. Jas Dhudwal (Surrey, B.C.) continued to impress on the boards, pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds.
PRESIDENTS' CUP UPDATE
With the win, the Heat pull back a victory in UBCO's favour as they trail the WolfPack 2-1 through three matches in the competition.
TOP PERFORMERSÂ
Jas Dhudwal – UBCO
The fourth-year forward from Surrey, B.C., follows up on his double-double performance last weekend with another standout game for the Heat. He dominated the court tonight, securing an impressive 12 rebounds, scoring eight points and contributing two crucial blocks.
Asher Mayan – TRU
Hailing from Langley, B.C., fourth-year guard Asher Mayan led his team, putting up 19 points, shooting a solid 83.3% from the free-throw line, and snagging four rebounds.
WHERE THEY SIT
Aside from the Presidents' Cup race, the win is a crucial one for UBCO as they move to within a game of the final playoff berth in the Canada West standings, improving to 3-10. Meanwhile, TRU drops to 3-8 on the season.
UP NEXT
The Heat are set to hit the court for another game against TRU tomorrow, Saturday, January 20, at 3 p.m., aiming for a weekend sweep at the UBCO Gymnasium. Tickets for the game will be available for purchase at the door on game day.
