Dan Kinvig,
Black Press
The University of the Fraser Valley men's basketball team carved out a little bit of history on Saturday evening, setting a new Canada West record for fewest points allowed in a game.
The UBC-Okanagan Heat were the unfortunate victims as the Cascades put on a masterful defensive performance, winning 79-32.
The Heat's points scored by quarter were 10, 10, 9 and 3, as they hit just 22.4 per cent of their attempts from the floor (13-for-58), 5.6 per cent from beyond the three-point arc (1-for-18) and 38.5 per cent from the free throw line (5-for-13) for the game.
"Our energy was just great from the opening tip," enthused UFV head coach Adam Friesen.
"The energy, the effort and the teamwork – all the things we work on and preach – were there for 40 minutes."
The Heat had given the Cascades a far stiffer test in the first game of the weekend, taking a three-point lead into halftime on Friday. But UFV hit their stride in the fourth quarter, out-scoring UBC-O 24-8 in the frame en route to a 69-55 victory. Centre Jasper Moedt set the tone, racking up 29 points and 14 rebounds, while Manny Dulay's 17-point outing was highlighted by five three-pointers.
Moedt led the way again in Saturday's blowout win, anchoring the lights-out defensive performance and registering his second straight double-double with 14 points and 11 boards. Klaus Figueredo (14 points), Dulay (13) and Amrit Gill (10) also scored in double figures.
The Cascades (11-5) hold a two-game lead on Thompson Rivers in the race for second place in the Pacific Division of Canada West, and they're on a program-record eight-game win streak. UBC-O is last in the Pacific at 3-13.
Friesen termed Moedt's recent play "just incredible," noting that the Yale Secondary product has been asked to take on a larger scoring load this season and has responded tremendously well.
"He took some time to adjust, but everyone knew what he was capable of," Friesen said.
"He's always been a great defender, great leader. But part of what we wanted to do was have a low-post presence, and he was going to be it. He's really performed well, and with his low-post presence, we're a tough team to guard."