PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – Transfer guard
Jeffrey Tezo scored 20 points off the bench to spark the UBC Okanagan Heat men's basketball team to an 84-74 victory over the UNBC Timberwolves on Friday night at the Charles Jago Norther Sports Centre.
Tezo, a native of Montreal who was making his first appearance with the blue and gold, was dynamic in his 25 minutes of action on the court. He finished the game 7-for-12 from the field while dishing out seven assists and pulling down three rebounds.
Backcourt running mate
Jalen Shirley of Brampton, Ont., led the offence for the Heat, pouring in 23 points along with three assists while also impacing the game defensively with five steals.
Up front,
Jas Dhudwal of Surrey, B.C., was a force for the Heat posting a monster double-double with 16 points and 17 rebounds.
The two Pacific division rivals were evenly matched through the opening 20 minutes of the game as they squared off for the second time in three weeks. With UNBC leading by one late in the half, the Heat got crucial baskets from Dhudwal and Tezo late in the quarter to take a 37-34 lead into the locker room.
The third quarter saw both teams use big runs as they put on an offensive show. However, UBCO closed the quarter on an 8-2 run, capped by a
David Usuomon (Brampton, Ont.) tip shot just before the buzzer, to lead by five with 10 minutes to play.
The Heat would stretch the lead to 10 midway through the fourth quarter before turning up their defensive intensity and limiting the Timberwolves to just four points over the final four minutes to come away with the victory.
The win moves the Heat into a three-way tie with Thompson Rivers and UFV for third place in the Canada West Pacific division standings with a 3-4 record. As for the Timberwolves, they fall to 0-7 on the campaign.
UBCO will go for a sweep of the season series with UNBC when the two teams wrap up their weekend doubleheader on Saturday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game can be seen live on CanadaWest.tv presented by BioSteel.
