KAMLOOPS – A large fourth quarter effort from the hosts doomed the Thompson Rivers WolfPack men's basketball team in an 83-75 loss to the UNBC Timberwolves in Prince George.
 
With the loss, the WolfPack's hope of the Canada West playoff have all but come to an end.
 
Two games behind the UFV Cascades for the 12th and final playoff spot, even a sweep over the division-leading Manitoba Bisons next weekend and the Cascades dropping both their games to the Saskatchewan Huskies would only see the teams tied at 7-13, where the Cascades hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
 
"Such a young team. Especially with the rookies and the second-years, it has been so encouraging," said WolfPack guard Asher Mayan after the loss. "A privilege for me as an older guy to see their growth. We are going to take that into next year. We have learned a lot of lessons through the losses and the wins. We are excited for what the future holds for this team, and we are not going to hang our heads. We know there is much more to come."
 
In the first quarter, the 'Pack and TWolves took turns keeping a grip on the lead, as momentum seemed to be fleeting for both teams in the early going. TRU got a little breathing room late in the frame thanks to a Cyrus Harrison triple and a Tyler Schilling layup, stretching the visitors' lead to 17-9. 
 
Reserve Dylon Matthews made a three, followed by a Fareed Shittu trey, and the Timberwolves found themselves down 22-17 at the end of the quarter. 
 
UNBC team dug in defensively in the second quarter after Daniel Bost and Harrison made back-to-back jumpers to make it a nine-point deficit. Shooting guard Micah Jessie made a pair of stepback triples, followed by a pair of drives, all of which were complimented by a Shittu, Chris Ross, and Justin Sunga threes. Mayan would lead TRU's attack with a pair of jumpers of his own, but UNBC held a 40-38 lead at half. 
  
In the third quarter, TRU coach Scott Clark made some adjustments defensively, slowing UNBC's offense with some different looks. The defensive success seemed to lead to energy at the offensive end as forward Denys Bachurin was effective at getting to his spots for buckets inside, and Bost made another trey to give the 'Pack a moderate lead. But UNBC threw a haymaker back, as the Sunga-Jessie backcourt did well to make tough shots and cut the deficit to 58-54 heading into the final frame. 
  
After being down 60-54, the TWolves went on a 16-0 run, with a thunderous Shittu dunk serving as the exclamation mark at the 4:00 mark. In true WolfPack fashion, TRU wouldn't stay down, as Bachurin and Harrison scored in transition, making it a four-point game in the dying minutes. However, that's as close as they'd come, as Spencer Ledoux got a jumper to go, followed by another Ross triple to seal it 83-75 for UNBC.
 
"They made some good shots. They ran their offence pretty diligently, getting a lot of really good paint touches," said Mayan. "They caught on to what we were doing with our offence and stalled us a little bit. At the end of the day, it was a close game, so we aren't going to hang our heads based on that fourth quarter."
 
Ross finished with 20 points, to go along with eight rebounds and four assists, while Jessie had 20 points, three assists, and three rebounds. Shittu finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, but the story was another huge performance by first-year guard Justin Sunga, who had 20 points, eight assists, six rebounds, and two steals. 
  
TRU was led by Mayan, who registered 17 points, seven steals, and six rebounds, as well as rookie Cyrus Harrison who had 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Bachurin added 13 points and six boards. 
 
Next up for WolfPack is their final games of the regular season when they host the Manitoba Bisons next weekend, February 10-11, inside the TCC.