Abbotsford– The UFV Cascades men’s basketball team (13-5) downed the Brandon University Bobcats (5-13) by a score of 83-71 tonight at the Envision Athletic Centre, keeping their win streak alive against a rough and ready Bobcats squad. The Cascades have not lost a conference game since November 23, 2013, and recently clinched a playoff spot in the Pacific division of the Canada West. At fifth in the Prairie division, Brandon is out of playoff contention.
The Bobcats stormed out of the gate to a 22-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. By the fourth minute of the second Brandon had extended the lead to 11, but that was as close to an upset as the visitors would get. The Cascades rained three-pointers for the rest of the quarter, including three consecutive treys from Manjodh Dulay. Kadeem Willis punctuated the comeback with a dunk as UFV erased the deficit in a matter of minutes, and entered the break with a 37-33 advantage.
Still, maintaining a lead against the big, athletic Bobcats was its own challenge. In typical fashion, Jasper Moedt multiplied his presence to the point where he could have been his own team, accumulating 23 points, 19 rebounds, and five assists. Klaus Figueredo, Kadeem Willis, and Kevon Parchment finished with 12 points each, while Manjodh Dulay tallied 18 (6-14 from beyond the arc). Dulay is now 30-75 from the three on the season, the thirteenth best percentage in the Canada West.
The Bobcats were led by A.M. Benabdelhak and Jordan Reaves with 14 points apiece. Despite the team’s height advantage, Brandon was out-rebounded by the Cascades 24-47, a critical factor in their inability to stay with UFV down the stretch.
“I’m really happy for the team,” said Cascades coach Adam Friesen. “A ten-game win streak is a great feat, something our program hasn’t done before, and for that every player on our team deserves credit. Our long term goal is to be prepared as best as possible for playoffs. We understand that our best basketball has to be in front of us and not behind us.”
The Cascades will travel to Prince George next Friday to take on the UNBC Timberwolves. The Bobcats will host the Lethbridge Pronghorns in Brandon.
Watch the games online at canadawest.tv
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