Thadius Galvez's jump shot with 2.1 seconds made all the difference in the world for the Grant MacEwan University Griffins.
It spiked any hopes the UNBC Timberwolves had of forcing the visiting Griffins from Edmonton to work some overtime Saturday in their CIS Canada West men's basketball game at the Northern Sport Centre.
Galvez's shot sealed a 72-70 win for the Griffins, who swept the two-game weekend series after defeating the T-wolves 70-57 on Friday. Their two victories improved the Griffins' record to 5-5, while the UNBC men dropped to 3-7.
Ryan May did most of the damage Saturday for the Griffins, collecting 24 points and six rebounds, while Galvez finished with 13 points, four assists and two rebounds. Austin Chandler led all T-wolves with 18 points and eight rebounds.
Rhys Elliott and Billy Cheng each sunk 17 points.
The Griffins led 19-16 after one quarter, and extended their lead to 44-29 at the half. But UNBC took off on a 16-1 run to start the second half and reduced the deficit to 58-52 by the end of the third quarter.
Chandler hit for three with 1:09 left to give UNBC a 70-69 lead, then Griffins' Denzel James was fouled and nailed one of his two free throws to tie it. The Griffins took possession on a turnover with 15 seconds left when T-wolves Colin Plumb stepped out of bounds, which set up Galvez's winner.
Galvez had 19 points and five rebounds in Friday's win.
Elliott shot a game-high 22 points, had five rebounds and two assists, while Plumb hit for 16 points.
In CIS women's basketball action, also at the NSC, the T-wolves lost to Grant MacEwan 74-59 on Saturday, after a 73-58 defeat Friday to the Explorer Division leaders.
The Griffins improved to 9-1, while UNBC remained tied with Mount Royal for last place, each with 1-9 records.
Megan Wood played a staring role for Grant MacEwan on Saturday, netting a game-high 24 points to go with 11 rebounds. Super rookie Maria Mongomo continued her stellar season for UNBC, collecting 19 points, four rebounds and four steals, while teammate Vasiliki Louka had 12 points and five rebounds.
Saturday's Shoot For the Cure game was a fundraiser for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
On Friday, Kendall Lydon was tough to contain, striking for 23 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals to lead the Griffin charge on Saturday.
She sunk five threes as the Griffins shot 58.3 per cent from beyond the arc.
UNBC got off to a quick start and led the Griffins 14-9 after 10 minutes and had a strong surge in the second quarter to trail 34-22 at halftime.
Leading 50-45 after three quarters, the Griffins took control in the fourth quarter with a 13-2 scoreboard run.
Louka was the most productive Timberwolf with 18 points and four rebounds. Mongomo continued her stellar rookie season with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Both UNBC teams will be on the road this weekend in Abbotsford for two-game sets against the Fraser Valley Cascades.
