VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds (12-4) suffered their second straight loss against the UFV Cascades (11-6), falling 90-79 at the UFV Athletic Centre on Saturday evening.

The Cascades started the game scorching hot, jumping out to a 14-2 lead, and never relinquished that advantage, barely holding off multiple surges from the T-Birds. A three-point game midway through the fourth quarter ended in a double-digit UFV win after the composed Cascades knocked down all of their free throws in the game's final moments.

Nylan Roberts was the most effective member of the 'Birds, scoring a career-high 25 points in a career-high 32 minutes, while matching his career-high with 14 rebounds. Roberts also added three blocks, which was, you guessed it, a career-high.

Nikola Guzina bounced back from a slow start to tally 19 points of his own on an efficient 7-10 from the field. Holt Tomie chipped in 17 points, a team-high six assists, and a pair of steals.



It was a nightmare start for the visitors as the Cascades seemingly could not miss to begin the game. UBC head coach Phil Jalalpoor called a timeout and pulled all of his starters but Roberts barely three minutes in. The bench managed to slow the UFV onslaught before the starters returned and began to turn the tide. A Roberts three in the final seconds of the frame cut the UFV advantage down to 24-19.

The Cascades stood tall in the second quarter, steadily re-building their lead. Point guard Bennett O'Connor knocked down three of his game-high 27 points at the mid-point of the second to restore UFV's 12-point advantage at 39-27. The 'Birds managed to hack that back down to seven, before the home side's edge ballooned again right before the half. A Dilveer Randhawa buzzer-beating jumper pushed the lead to a game-high 15 at 50-35.

The T-Birds more than halved that advantage in the third quarter, as Roberts and Guzina matched the Cascades output by themselves, scoring 10 and nine points respectively. It appeared UBC was on the verge of erasing the deficit almost entirely before Randhawa, a thorn in the 'Birds' side all weekend, hit another three right before the buzzer to keep the UFV edge at a healthier 69-62.

In the fourth, the Cascades bent further, but still refused to break. A Roberts dunk barely two minutes in capped a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 71-68. UFV scored on its next two possessions however and UBC never got within three again, with the home side finishing the weekend sweep 90-79.



A silver lining for the T-Birds in the loss was the debut of Juan Navarro. The well-liked guard worked his way up from team manager, to red-shirt, to full member of the roster over the last three seasons, finally earning his first regular season action on Saturday. Navarro played seven minutes off of the bench, logging his first career assist.

UBC returns to War Memorial Gym for its final home series of the regular season, hosting the UNBC Timeberwolves next weekend. Friday's game is set to start at 7:30 p.m., Saturday's at 6:00 p.m. (PT) with the team planning to hold a private ceremony to recognize its graduating seniors at the conclusion of Saturday's action. Tickets to both games can be purchased here.