VICTORIA - The UBC Okanagan Heat men's basketball team hung tough against the top-ranked team in the nation on Saturday as they fell 85-70 on the road to the Victoria Vikes.

Lamine Conde stood out for the Heat with 18 points, including three 3-pointers, and contributed a season-high eight rebounds to go along with two blocks. Jalen Shirley made a notable impact with 12 points and he is now just nine points away from reaching 1,000 career points. Isaak Moore also made his presence felt defensively, matching Shirley with two steals. Jas Dhudwal was effective on the boards, leading the team with nine rebounds and adding two steals. Mike Adarkwah-Nti contributed offensively with 10 points and three assists.

The Vikes got off to a strong start in this one, limiting the Heat's offensive opportunities while running their offence efficiently as they built a 22-11 lead after 10 minutes.

The second quarter was a much closer quarter but UBCO could gain no ground on their opponent. Despite eight points in the paint, the Heat found themselves down 35-23 at the break.

After the Vikes found their offence in the third quarter to extend their lead, the Heat produced their best 10 minutes of the game in the final frame. UBCO outscored the U SPORTS No. 1-ranked team 31-24 in the fourth, as they capitalized on turnovers, scoring 14 points off turnovers, while also securing nine fast-break points. Conde was particularly strong in the frame, scoring 13 of his 18 points as UBCO got the lead down to as little as 13 but no closer in dropping their second game of the weekend.

The loss drops the Heat's record to 4-10 on the season while Victoria remains undefeated at a perfect 14-0.

UBCO will be back in Kelowna next weekend as they resume Presidents' Cup action against their Interior rivals, the Thompson Rivers WolfPack. Game one of their weekend doubleheader will be a School Day Game affair with tip-off slated for 11 a.m. with the Heat needing just one win to win this year's men's Presidents' Cup.