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In a bitter-sweet close to the fall portion of the CIS Canada West men’s basketball season, the UBC Okanagan Heat fell 66-46 to the host MacEwan University Griffins on Saturday in Edmonton.
The loss ended a record four-game Heat winning streak that included an 87-82 victory over the Griffins on Friday, also at MacEwan’s City Centre Campus.
But UBCO’s 4-4 record in the Canada West’s Explorer Division is the best-ever by the Heat who go into the Christmas break holding down third place, the final playoff spot in the division.
A 22-5 second quarter in favour of the Griffins proved the difference for the hosts on Saturday. While the Heat settled in to outscore MacEwan 29-28 in the second half, it wasn’t nearly enough to overcome the early deficit.
Aldrich Berrios of Burnaby (Notre Dame) led the Heat with 10 points, while 6-foot-9 Ryan Morck of Airdrie, Alta. netted nine points and added nine rebounds in a losing cause.
A lack of finish contributed to the Heat’s downfall as they shot only 27.6 per cent (16-for-58) compared to 52.3 per cent in their win the night before. On Saturday, UBCO was 10-17 from the free-throw line, while on Friday they were 3-for-18.
Berrios led all scorers in the series opener, scoring 21 points, 18 of which came from outside the three-point arc (6-for-7). Cameron Servatius, a second-year guard from Chilliwack (Sardis SS), added 12 points to the win, while Kelowna’s Mitch Goodwin scored 10 in 20 minutes of floor time.
The Heat’s ability to claim the edge under the basket — led by Spencer Thomas and Servatius with seven rebounds apiece — was a key to their success.
“The guys came out with the right assertive mentality to put us in a position to win,” said head coach, Pete Guarasci. “I felt we did a good job controlling the game for the most part."
While the Heat won’t resume league play until Jan. 8 when they meet the first-place Thomson Rivers WolfPack at UBCO, they will travel to Victoria for a series during the Christmas break.
Heat Women Soft Under Boards
A lack of authority in the paint parlayed into a pair of losses for the UBC Okanagan women’s basketball team on the weekend in Edmonton.
Riding a five-game winning streak going into their two-game series with the first-place MacEwan University Griffins, the Heat (5-3) couldn’t handle the bigger and more combative hosts in their CIS Canada West games on Friday (74-50) and Saturday (62-44).
The Griffins, improving to 7-1 in the Explorer Division of the conference, grabbed 47 rebounds to the Heat’s 27 overall in Friday’s game, while MacEwan out-rebounded UBCO 30-20 down under on offence.
“We were outplayed in the paint and gave up way too many offensive boards,” said Heat head coach Claire Meadows. “And they executed on a lot of their second-chance points.”
While Meadows addressed the problem between games, it was much the same result on Saturday as the Griffins matched their Friday total of 47 rebounds, while the Heat pulled down just three more (33) than the night before.
On the more positive side, Vanessa Botteselle, a second-year guard from North Vancouver (St. Thomas Aquinas), had a break-out game offensively on Friday, scoring a season-high 15 points for the Heat. She was 4-for-10 from the field and added seven from the free-throw line.
Vernon’s Emily Kanester was the only other member of the Heat to reach double digits, finishing with 13 points. Ten different players scored at least a point in a losing cause.
On Saturday, the Heat’s Claire Elliott of North Vancouver (Argyle SS) led the offence with 12 points and seven rebounds in a team-high 34 minutes of floor time. Kanester made it to double figures again, finishing with 11, six of which came from beyond the arc.
The Heat, with their best-ever record at the Christmas break, are off until Jan. 8 when they play host to the Thompson Rivers WolfPack at the UBCO Furnace.
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