Big first quarter leads Cougars past the Heat

Justin McCaffrey, Mount Royal Cougars Sports Information

CALGARY, AB- Powered by an outstanding first quarter, the Mount Royal Cougars defeated the UBC Okanagan Heat 79-63 on Friday night at Kenyon Court. The Cougars scored by committee on Friday night as James Lefebvre, Derek Wolf and Glen Yang all had 13 points. Cameron Friesen of the Heat led all scorers with 14 points.

The Cougars couldn't miss in the early going, galloping out to a 7-2 run to start the ball game. Brett Layton and James Lefebvre powered the Cougars offence on the inside and when the Heat keyed onto them, Glen Yang was brilliant from outside.

Mount Royal led 15-6 at the halfway point of the quarter but didn't stop there. Derek Wolf then got into the act for the Cougars, driving the lane and getting to line. The exclamation point of the first quarter came when Ray Goff had a fast break and put down an emphatic dunk to give Mount Royal a 23-11 lead. The Cougars scored a season-high 32 points in the first quarter.

UBC Okanagan tried to slowly climb back in the second set but each time they scored, Mount Royal would answer. Mount Royal took a 45-28 lead into halftime.

As the second half opened, Mount Royal nearly doubled up the Heat leading at one point 59-30. Brett Layton owned the boards in the third quarter as the Cougars outscored the Heat 21-13. Heading into the fourth and final quarter the Cougars were firmly supplanted in the driver's seat, leading 66-41.

The Heat tried furiously to get back into the game via the three-ball. This provided Mount Royal an opportunity to slow the game down off missed shots and grind the final few minutes of the game out. Mount Royal cruised through the final quarter, taking the game 79-63.

With the win Mount Royal moves closer to a playoff spot and hold a record of 4-7 on the season.

The loss drops UBC Okanagan to 5-6, just one win ahead of the Cougars for the third and final playoff spot.

Mount Royal and UBC Okanagan will renew their rivalry again tomorrow night at 7:00pm on Kenyon Court.

Photo Credit: Adrian Shellard