The UFV Cascades and UNBC Timberwolves played a game of hot potato with the lead all night, in a game that included 17 lead changes, before the Cascades pulled out a 79-75 victory on Friday, November 18^th, 2022 in Abbotsford, BC.

Both teams started the first quarter slowly on the offensive end, each turning the ball over and missing shots they would normally convert in the early going. Eventually, Dhivaan Bhogal started to find his stroke in the paint for the Cascades, while Darren Hunter made a triple for the Timberwolves, and the teams continued to trade possession of the lead and any sustainable momentum. When the quarter concluded, there had been a total of 10 lead changes, and the Cascades found themselves up 19-18 after ten minutes.

Spencer Ledoux started to establish himself in the second stanza, getting his signature hook shot to go on back-to-back possessions for the TWolves. At the other end, UFV big man Dhivaan Bhogal made a pair of shots of his own, as the two teams continued to prove why there is rarely a bad game between the programs. Micah Jessie, UNBC’s leading scorer coming into the game, played the role of distributor for the TWolves, registering seven assists in the half.

Late in the frame, the Cascades were able to create a little separation off some second-chance points from Jaydan Bains. A Jackson Netzel three cut into the deficit, and at the half, Fraser Valley held a slim 45-42 advantage.

Fareed Shittu led the Timberwolves with 11 points and five rebounds, while Ledoux added nine points. For UFV, it was Bhogal who was the story, scoring 17 points to go along with six boards. The TWolves likely left some meat on the bone, shooting just 37.8% in the half.

In the third quarter, Cascades guard Courtenay Anderson came out assertive, making a three pointer and getting to the line for easy points at the line. His counterpart, Darren Hunter, answered with a pair of jumpers of his own, cutting the UFV lead down to two points late in the frame. Micah Jessie continued to play the role of creator, finding Dylon Matthews for a triple as the clock expired, and the Timberwolves led 64-63 with one quarter to play.

The fourth quarter turned into a defensive war of attrition, each team taking turns with the elusive momentum, and both failing to put the proverbial nail in each other’s coffin. Bhogal continued to get to his spot in the Timberwolves paint, earning tough buckets inside as the Cascades built an eight-point lead with four minutes remaining.

The Timberwolves cut the lead down to three after Hunter made a trey with 2:30 to go, an advantage the Cascades would carry into the final minute. Despite UNBC having a number of looks at it, the clock was their enemy, as was their cold shooting. The clock eventually expired with the Cascades claiming a 79-75 victory, improving their record to 3-2, while the Timberwolves fell to 2-3.

Darren Hunter had 18 points to lead UNBC, but went 6-for-22 from the floor. Shittu had 15 points and 12 rebounds, Ledoux had 13 points and six rebounds, and Micah Jessie had a ten-point, 10-assist double double. The ten assists tied the UNBC program record, also held by Billy Cheng, Vova Pluzhnikov, and James Agyeman.

For the Cascades, it was a monster 22 point, 16 rebound performance from Bhogal that was the difference. Anderson added 17 points, five boards, and four assists, while Dario Lopez had 14 points and nine rebounds.

The two teams clash again on Saturday evening in Abbotsford.