CALGARY, Alta. – Three games in three days against strong competition gave the UBCO Heat men's basketball team a peek at where they stand ahead of the approaching Canada West season.
Game 1: Friday, Oct. 2 - UBCO Heat 69 - Calgary Dinos - 94
A tough test against the host Calgary Dinos opened the weekend for the Heat, ending in a 94-69 loss. UBCO held a slim lead through the opening minutes before Calgary used a 12-0 run to pull ahead, and the host's 14 three-pointers helped stretch the gap to 20 by halftime. The Heat responded out of the break, winning the third quarter 21-19, but ultimately couldn't close the distance. Lamine Conde and Mathias Schertzer led UBCO with 12 points, respectively, with Schertzer shooting 5-for-8 and grabbing a team-high eight rebounds. Isaak Moore added 11 off the bench, while the Heat found success attacking the basket, outscoring the Dinos 32-26 in the paint and turning 15 offensive rebounds into 18 second-chance points.
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 3 - UBCO Heat 59 - Lethbridge Pronghorns - 96
The Heat started well against the Pronghorns, jumping out to a 6-2 lead and pulling within two late in the first quarter on a Conde three-pointer. However, Lethbridge answered with a crushing 17-0 run that carried into the second, where UBCO was held to just 11 points. The Pronghorns took a 51-27 lead into halftime on the way to a 96-59 final. Conde was a bright spot, scoring a team-high 17 points on an efficient 7-for-11 shooting in just 16 minutes played. Wil Zylyk came off the bench to add 10 points and a team-high six rebounds, with seven of his points coming in the fourth frame. All 15 Heat players saw the floor, with their defence forcing 25 turnovers from the Pronghorns.
Game 3: Sunday, Oct. 4 - UBCO Heat 74 - Ottawa Gee-Gees - 96
Sunday's finale brought UBCO's best offensive showing of the three games, though it wasn't enough in a 96-74 defeat to the Ottawa Gee-Gees, a team that was nationally ranked for all but one week last season. The Gee-Gees scored the first nine points of the game, but the Heat fought back behind three first-quarter three-pointers from Zylyk, tying the game at 15 en route to taking a 21-20 lead late in the frame. Ottawa went on to regain control with a 32-18 second quarter, and although UBCO won the third 20-16, they couldn't cut further into the deficit before the final whistle of the weekend. Zylyk finished with a game-high 19 points off the bench on 7-for-11 shooting, including 5-for-9 from beyond the arc, while Tarun Saroya added 15 points and three steals. UBCO's bench outscored Ottawa's 48-44, and the Heat dished out 20 assists on 28 made field goals, with Enrique Garcia and Ty Lockwood recording five assists apiece.
