The UNBC Timberwolves mounted a second half comeback and held on for a gritty victory on homecourt, topping the UFV Cascades 77-69 on Canada West opening night, Friday, November 3rd in Prince George, BC.
Early in the first quarter it was the visiting Cascades that came out the more assertive team, crashing the boards with great success and earning second-chance points from do-everything guard Dylan Kinley.
UFV opened up a substantial 16-7 lead seven minutes into the frame as the TWolves struggled to convert on their looks inside and outside the paint. Good defense led to good offense, however, as a pair of Spencer Ledoux blocks went the other direction and resulted in jumpers for Justin Sunga, Patrick Freeman, and a triple from Ledoux. The Cascades led 22-18 after ten minutes.
In the second quarter, UFV ramped up the intensity, and it paid off with a run that stretched their advantage to 15 points. Matthias Klim and Clay Kurtz were effective and rugged forward Dario Lopez showed his inside-outside game with a tough bucket inside followed by a three-point make.
Patrick Freeman, playing in his first career Canada West game, made an impact off the bench for Todd Jordan's TWolves, as the New Zealand product cleaned up some tough rebounds and made a late triple to cut the halftime deficit to 46-34.
After sitting out much of the first half with foul trouble, Evgeny Baukin proved why he is considered to have an incredibly bright future in Canada West. The six-foot-seven second-year forward from Moscow was aggressive in getting to the cylinder, scoring 11 points in the frame, and helping UNBC to seize their first lead of the game. He was helped by fifth-year vet Chris Ross, who played his signature defense and relentless style, and making a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into the fourth frame knotted at 54-54.
The final quarter was a game of hot potato with the momentum, as the Northern Sport Centre crowd cheered the home TWolves with great hope for a season-opening victory. Dario Lopez wasn't going to let that happen easily, as he and Dylan Kinley kept the Cascades in the game with timely buckets.
With UNBC leading by a single point with less than three minutes to go, it was veteran guard Darren Hunter and new TWolf Josh Gillespie making back-to-back triples to thrill the crowd and give the Timberwolves a late lead.
Six late Lopez points would make the game a one-possession affair, but Hunter and Justin Sunga made clutch free-throws and the TWolves held on for a 77-69 win.
Baukin was spectacular in limited action, playing just 25 minutes but going for 18 points, seven rebounds, five steals, three assists, and two blocks. Fellow sophomore Sunga had 10 points, seven rebounds, and six helpers while Spencer Ledoux had 11 points, seven boards, and three blocks. Hunter and Ross also scored in double figures.
For UFV, it was Lopez who had 23 points, while big man Matthias Klim came off the bench and added 12 points.
The two teams will clash again in a very important Saturday matchup, 7 PM at the Northern Sport Centre.
