Three wins in four games is a pretty good way to cap off the first half of a season for any team. Especially right before the Christmas break.
It's exactly what UNBC men's basketball squad did on the weekend with a two-game sweep (83-74 Friday, 69-63 Saturday) at home against the UBC Okanagan Heat. Those two victories, combined with a 71-60 win against Mount Royal on Nov. 21 give the Timberwolves a 3-5 record in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Canada Explorers Division in fifth place.
Kelowna-based UBCO, with the majority of its roster of first and second-year players, is now 2-6 and in last place in the division.
"This weekend was big for us," said third-year guard Rhys Elliott, who collected seven points Saturday and 13 on Friday. "We dropped a couple of easy games earlier in the season and we're moving up the standings. It gives us some confidence."
Saturday night at the Northern Sport Centre, the Timberwolves set the pace early on and staked themselves to a 31-20 lead.
The Heat worked to narrow the gap in the third quarter, but third-year forward Gagan Sahota came off the bench to sink two-straight shots from the three-point arc for a six-point boost.
The Heat were within six points with 54 seconds left on the clock, but fourth-year guard Billy Cheng stole the ball just outside the arc and pushed up the court. The Heat couldn't convert in the final minute of play, while UNBC ran down the clock.
Cheng finished the game with 13 points and two assists, while Franco Kouagnia hauled in 14 rebounds a team 21 points.
UBCO was led by David Manshreck with 28 points.
CIS Canada West league play resumes Jan. 9 where the Timberwolves travel to Edmonton to take on the MacEwan University Griffins for a two-game set.
