KAMLOOPS – Despite missing multiple key players due to injury, finding themselves in foul trouble and trailing by as many as 16 points, all the Thompson Rivers WolfPack men's basketball team did was fight in what ended up being a nail-biting 80-76 loss at the hands of the Fraser Valley Cascades.
Giving up a significant height advantage, the WolfPack were outmanned on the glass with the visiting Cascades grabbing 50 rebounds to the TRU's 39.
Asher Mayan led the 'Pack with 21 points, the second-most he's scored so far in his WolfPack career.
Brendan Sullivan added 16 points despite fouling out early and
Daniel Bost chipped in with 14. Thrust into action due to injury, a pair of rookies made their first career Canada West starts for the 'Pack.
Jayden Lalonde led the team with eight rebounds and added six points while
Gavin Reis scored a career-high eight points.
Dylan Kinley was the danger man for most of the night for the Cascades. The third year from Surrey scored a game-high 22 points. Zubair Sayed was a thorn in the WolfPack's side with 17 points while Dario Lopez came to life late for Fraser Valley with 14 points.
It took the WolfPack a little while to find their feet in the game. Fraser Valley shot out to a 27-11 lead after the first quarter thanks to shooting 42 per cent from the floor as a team. Kinley led all scorers with 10 through the opening 10 minutes.
TRU came out of the games in the second quarter on fire. A 13-0 WolfPack run to start the second keyed by six points from Sullivan and four from Mayan allowed the hosts to cut their deficit to just three points. Fraser Valley was able to settle down after that stretch however and led took a 43-33 lead into the halftime break.
After the third quarter did little to separate the teams any further, the contest came to life in the fourth. A 12-2 TRU run capped by a three pointer from Lalonde saw the 'Pack tie the game with five minutes left to play. A Richard Mageto free throw with 2:44 left gave the WolfPack their first lead of the game since the first quarter, but the Cascasdes were able to find another gear late.
Tasked with guarding players nearly a foot taller than him, 5-11
Tyler Schilling put in a shift defensively for the WolfPack but Lopez scored eight points in the final two minutes of play to help the Cascades pull out the win.
Next up for the WolfPack will be a rare midweek affair as they get set to host the UVic Vikes on Wednesday, February 9 and Thursday February 10. The Cascades meanwhile will remain in the Interior to take on the UBC Okanagan Heat this Saturday and Sunday.
