MacEwan Athletics
ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – Trending in the wrong direction defensively, the Griffins men's basketball allowed more than 30 points in a quarter for a second-straight game on Friday.
Six days after Lethbridge put up 32 on them in the opening quarter, UFV spiked them for 39 points in the second quarter on Friday, en route to a 104-64 rout over the Griffins.
"Again, it's all about our defence," lamented Griffins head coach Mike Connolly. "The first quarter was good, but then we gave up another 39-point second quarter, went down 20 and couldn't respond.
"We came out and chipped away in a good third quarter, but struggled in the fourth to score and got blown out in the end. Foul trouble and some injuries affected our rotations and depth."
With the result, the Griffins fell to 2-11 on the season, failing to gain any ground in a last-ditch effort to catch a playoff spot, even though Alberta (4-9) – occupying the seventh and final post-season position in the Prairie Division – lost to Manitoba.
UFV is now 6-9, currently sitting in the fifth and final playoff position in the Pacific Division.
The Cascades spread the scoring around with six players in double digits, led by Dilveer Randhawa (15 points) and Dario Lopez (14). Clay Kurtz added 13 points, while Matthias Klim posted a double double (12 points, 15 rebounds) and both Takeshia Croke and Uyi Ologhola had 11 points.
Dami Osuma hits two of his team-leading 10 first half points with the @MacEwanGriffins trailing @UFVCascades 59-42 through 20 minutes.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/4zul4ODbPp
— MacEwan Griffins Men's Basketball Team (@Griffins_MBB) January 25, 2025
MacEwan big man Dami Osuma led the way for the Griffins with 12 points, while Joel Seke, Job Janda and Justace Byam had 11 points each.
UFV shot 54.3 per cent from the field, compared to just 40.0 for MacEwan, while they took twice as many three-point shots and outscored the Griffins from beyond the arc by 15 points.
"Guys didn't have any compete, nor did they play with any grit," said Connolly. "Some self-reflection needs to happen for us to make changes in our play for tomorrow."
The teams will meet again on Saturday (6 p.m. MT, Canada West TV).
