The CBC Bearcats men’s basketball team drew even with the top-ranked club in the country early in the third quarter on Saturday, but it all fell apart from there.
The VIU Mariners shut the door in the third and fourth quarter, outscoring CBC by 14 to earn a 94-75 win in Abbotsford on Saturday.
Despite the loss, Bearcats head coach Matthew Boulton said he liked his team’s effort.
“I felt pretty good about it but we definitely got some cold shooting in the second half,” he said. “Obviously our size is an issue, but the big one for us today was the 29 points they got off of our turnovers. I feel like we were the cause of our own loss.”
After a slow start to the game, the Bearcats caught fire in the second quarter and outscored the Mariners 26-19. CBC guard Kevin Davis was two assists away from a triple-double, with 17 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. Si Woo Youn added 16 points, with Elijah Calhoun and Jamie Konrad contributing 13 points apiece.
Boulton said the 20 turnovers are what killed the Bearcats momentum.
“They changed up their defence in the second half and were pressing us a bit,” he said. “We had 11 turnovers in the second half – and not good turnovers. Some were at centre court where they could just run in lay-ups. It makes it difficult to stay competitive if we’re just handing them lay-ups.”
The Bearcats also lost to the Camosun Chargers 81-60 on Friday. CBC fell apart in the second half, shooting just 25 per cent. Boulton said the team got into foul trouble, and couldn’t get back into the game. The Bearcats were out-rebounded 41-25 by Camosun.
Davis had another strong game, with 15 points, seven assists and six steals. Umbori Watson added 14 points, and Jamie Konrad scored 11.
The loss drops CBC to a record of one win and four losses, and they sit in sixth place in the Pacwest.
It was a better weekend for the women’s team, as they split the pair of games against the Island teams.
CBC rode a 26-16 first quarter to a 69-58 win over Camosun on Friday. Guard Mandy Van Delden led the way with 21 points, four rebounds and four steals. The Bearcats also got big games from Harvina Kaler (16 points, seven rebounds and seven steals) and Sarah Rozendal (13 points and six rebounds).
A cold third quarter then sunk the Bearcats on Saturday, as they only managed seven points, and fell 80-49 to the Mariners.
VIU shot 48 per cent from the field in the second half to secure the win, while the Bearcats only shot 28 per cent for the game.
Deanna Esau had a strong game for CBC, with 14 points and nine rebounds. Three-point shooting was off for Bearcats, with the team only making five of 29 for the game.
The women sit in fifth place in the Pacwest, with a record of two wins and three losses.
The teams continue the home stand this week, with Douglas College coming to Abbotsford on Friday and Capilano on Saturday.
Tip-off for the games is 6 p.m. for the women and 8 p.m. for the men on Friday, and 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday.