Buzz Truss #10 is one of 7 first year players on the Heat
Heat men’s basketball drops two on the road, continue preparing for new era
Men’s Basketball (Exhibition play) SCHEDULE & RESULTS
Chinook High School, Lethbridge, AB
Friday, October 3rd, 2014 BOX SCORE
University of Lethbridge Pronghorns vs. UBC Okanagan Heat
| FINAL | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UBC Okanagan | 14 | 6 | 23 | 22 | 65 |
| Lethbridge | 29 | 21 | 22 | 18 | 90 |
Saturday, October 4th, 2014 BOX SCORE
University of Lethbridge Pronghorns vs. UBC Okanagan Heat
| FINAL | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UBC Okanagan | 11 | 14 | 17 | 32 | 74 |
| Lethbridge | 23 | 21 | 25 | 27 | 96 |
LETHBRIDGE, A.B. – The UBC Okanagan men’s basketball squad continued their preseason exhibition preparations with a trip to Lethbridge to face-off with the Pronghorns in back-to-back action Friday and Saturday night. The Heat would ultimately drop both contests, but not before rookie guard Aldrich Berrios (Burnaby, BC) lit his opponents up for 21 points off of 6-8 shooting Saturday night.
Lethbridge jumped on the Heat early during Friday’s 90-65 vin over the Okanagan squad. However, the Heat came out much stronger in quarters three and four to win the second-half by five points. The Pronghorns’ Brandon Brine would not be denied as he went for 31 points on 12-19 shooting.
Saturday night the Heat were able to keep the margins closer, but ultimately the Pronghorns escaped to a 96-74 result.
Berrios would lead all scorers with his 21. Brine was suffocated by the Okanagan defense and kept to a meager five points and one assist for his offensive contributions. However, the Pronghorns found a wealth of replacement firepower in Brent Watkins, Jared Baker, and Tyson McIntyre, who put up 20, 10, and 11 points, respectively.
Despite containment on Brine, the Heat defense was sloppier than Heat coach Pete Guarasci would have liked, as they sent the Pronghorns to the charity stripe 30 times, where they converted 83% of their attempts. Meanwhile, the Heat made 22 trips but were subpar in their conversions, only making half.
Exactly half of the Heat’s fourteen-man roster are first-year newcomers, and rookies Berrios, swingman Austin Penrose (West Vancouver, BC) and forward Ryan Morck (Airdrie, AB) figured in Guarasci’s starting rotation for both games this weekend.
UBC Okanagan will not return to action until October 17th when they begin a two-day stand south of the border at Lewis-Clark State in Idaho. Tip-off Friday night is at 7 p.m. and the Saturday matinee will take place at 2 p.m. Both games will be hosted at the Activity Centre in Lewiston, ID.