EDMONTON – Inching closer to all but officially clinching a post-season berth, the Lethbridge Pronghorns rallied back from a deficit to start the fourth quarter to claw out a 82-76 win over the MacEwan Griffins.
"Momentum's a thing in basketball," said Lethbridge head coach James McKinnon. "They went on runs; we went on runs as well. I think the key for us was to get back together. We had (last) weekend off and we didn't seem very organized at all through the full 40 minutes. So, I think if we just come back together, we'll be fine. We'll just keep moving on."
The game was close in the fourth quarter with Lethbridge finally gaining the lead with 5:29 left and pulling away when Keanu Funa made a three-pointer with 2:27 left, forcing the Griffins into a fouling game that didn't work.
Ultimately, the Griffins were undone by a 32.9 per cent field goal percentage, compared to 42.6 from the visitors.
With the result, Lethbridge moves to 7-10, while MacEwan falls to 2-15.
Earlier in the day, the Griffins were officially awarded two wins after Nov. 29-30 losses at Trinity Western were reversed due to an ineligible player. That gave some life to their playoff hopes and for stretches on Friday night they played like a team desperate to catch 4-13 UNBC for the final post-season position.
Rookie Gregoire Piche-Wint nearly produced a double-double off the bench for the Griffins with 15 points and nine rebounds. His night was highlighted by a third-quarter sequence where he took two charges, right before and after an offensive board and bucket, offering a glimpse of the game-changing ability he has.
Doslov-Doctor led the Griffins with 21 points, while Jake Notice chipped in 13.
Lethbridge was led by Edmontonian Chad Oviatt – a transfer from Concordia University – who produced 22 points and seven boards, while 6-foot-8 Jeffrey Rodehutskors scored a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Funa and Colton Gibb each had 13 points.
"Obviously, to show well in front of his hometown fans is a great thing," said McKinnon of Oviatt. "Coming in with 22 and seven on 10-of-14 shooting in 22 minutes, that's exceptional.
"Keanu Funa really walked in towards the end of the game and helped us solidify our defence in the fourth quarter."
The teams will meet again on Saturday (7 p.m., David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV presented by Co-op).
