EDMONTON - Lars Ishimwe had 32 of his game and career-high 34 points in the second half as the Bears won a tight contest versus the UBCO Heat 96-88 Saturday night at the Saville Centre.
The fourth-year Bears guard was a man on a mission in the second half of the contest, accounting for 32/52 Alberta second-half points, or 61.5%, and was a major factor in holding off a ferocious Heat fourth-quarter effort.
UBCO saw great performances from the guard duo of Hafith Moallin and Gus Goerzen who finished with 21 and 19 points respectively.
The Bears move to 6-4 on the year after the win, looking to gain some positive momentum headed into the second half of the season. The Heat drop to 4-8 with the loss.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair, ending tied at 23-23 and each team having a 7-0 scoring run. The Heat hit four triples in the frame, and were remarkable getting points off of turnovers - leading the Bears 14-9 in that category. Alberta was led by rookie Isaac Simon who finished tied with UBCO's Jonathan Haughton for the quarter lead in scoring with seven.
Alberta opened up a lead in the second thanks to stout defence and the play of third-year veteran Daniel McLaren who scored a quarter-high seven including a thunderous dunk midway through the frame. While third-year Heat guard Gus Goerzen would pace the visitors with a strong five point quarter, Alberta would head into the break with a 44-37. Both squads shot the ball well, but Alberta's 21-12 rebound margin aided a total of nine points off of offensive rebounds and ultimately was a large reason the hosts headed into the locker room with a lead.
Alberta started the second half hot thanks to the play of fourth-year guard Lars Ishimwe, who had 10 points only three minutes into the third. He was a large piece of a 12-2 Bears run that ballooned their lead to 56-39 midway through the third. Ishimwe finished with a quarter-high 15 points, while UBCO was paced by fourth-year guard Hafith Moallin who scored seven. The Bears entered the final frame with a 70-57 lead.
The Heat saved their best basketball of the night for the final quarter, opening with an 11-0 run that cut the previously large Alberta lead to just two. However, it was the hometown product Ishimwe's night. Building on a phenomenal third quarter he potted 17 points in the fourth, including 14 of the Bears first 18 in the quarter. Everything good was running through Alberta's number two, who also finished with two steals and four rebounds. The Heat would battle hard until the end, but two Abdullah Shittu free throws put the Bears up eight with a minute to go and acted as a dagger in a 96-88 win.
The Bears travel to Langley for a date with the 8-4 Trinity Western Spartans, while the Heat return home to face the Mount Royal Cougars (5-4).
