ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – A four-point play from Brett Warren in the dying seconds of regulation lifted the Lethbridge Pronghorns to a 73-72 victory over the University of the Fraser Valley men's basketball team on Friday evening at the Envision Financial Athletic Centre.
With the Pronghorns trailing 72-69 and the shot clock off, Warren took a pass on the right wing, pump-faked as UFV defender Sukhjot Bains flew past him, then fired from beyond the arc. With the shot on its way – and it would find the bottom of the net – Cascades centre Matt Cooley came in late and bumped Warren after he'd landed and was whistled for a foul. Warren made the ensuing free throw to give the visitors a 73-72 lead with 16 seconds remaining.
The Cascades had a chance to reclaim the lead, but Bains's heavily contested three-point attempt hit the back iron and the Pronghorns (3-4) escaped with a big road win.
"The coach drew up the play, and we tried to follow through with it," Warren said afterward. "I knew someone had to take the shot, and I'm happy that my teammate Kyle Peterson passed me the ball and I hit it.
"I'm just glad it went in. I just shot it and hoped for the best."
The Cascades had a solid start to the game – they built a 19-15 lead at the end of the first quarter, and opened the second on a 7-0 run with five of those points coming off the fingertips of Vlad Mihaila.
The Pronghorns, though, would cut the deficit to 41-35 at the break, and they reeled off a 14-0 run in the third quarter to grab a 51-46 advantage. Keanu Funa lit the fuse for Lethbridge, scoring seven points in that stretch.
The Cascades reclaimed control in the fourth, and led 72-68 after Cooley hit a turnaround jumper with just over two minutes left in regulation.
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But after Chad Oviatt split a pair of free throws and a couple defensive stops, the Pronghorns got the ball back in the dying seconds hoping to tie, but improbably surged ahead on the rare four-point play by Warren.
"It stings a lot, because we had something to do with the outcome, and it wasn't just the final possession," Cascades head coach Adam Friesen said. "Giving up 27 turnovers and 14 offensive rebounds doesn't do any favours.
"I think a lot of it (with the turnovers) was trying to do too much. When we keep it simple, we tend to get some pretty good looks. But a lot of our turnovers, I don't think were forced. They were unforced, and knowing that leaves a bad taste in our mouths."
The Cascades did a lot of good things defensively, holding the Pronghorns 16 below their season average in points, on just 36.5 per cent shooting from the field. But the 27 turnovers (vs. just 14 for the 'Horns) was their undoing.
Funa finished with 19 points for Lethbridge, and Warren scored 13.
Sukhjot Bains and Parm Bains racked up 20 points apiece for the Cascades, and Jaskarn Bajwa (eight points) and Mihaila (seven) chipped in off the bench. Sukhjot Bains (16 rebounds) and Cooley (10) both snared double-digit rebounds.
The Pronghorns will look for a first weekend sweep of the season tomorrow night in Abbotsford, tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time, catch all the action on www.canadawest.tv.
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