A strong performance from the Heat in the second half would be enough on Saturday night as they took down the Mount Royal Cougars by a 80-78 scoreline.
The Heat would outscore the home team 47-41 in the final 20 minutes to capture their fifth victory of the Canada West season (5-3). With the loss the Cougars fall to .500 (4-4).
Aldrich Berrios would have 23 points in the second half alone and 30 on the night but it was transfer David Okoroafor who came up clutch down the stretch. Okoroafor would hit two free-throws with four seconds left to put the Heat up two. After a timeout and the ball inbounded at the half, Mount Royal was unable to knock down a long-range three at the buzzer for the win.
Heat rookie point guard Hafith Moallin stuffed the stat sheet on the night as he finish with 21 points along with six steals, six rebounds and two assists.
The Cougars offense was led by LJ Hegwood, who notched a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Nick Tancon and Glen Yang both came close to double-doubles. Yang scored 13 points and added eight rebounds, while Tancon finished with 17 points and nine rebounds.
In the opening quarter, MRU scored their first nine points on threes. Their hot shooting sparked them as they broke out to an early lead, which saw Yang score eight points and a Hegwood breakaway jam.
Hafith Moallin hit a three for the Heat at the first quarter buzzer, cutting the Cougars' lead to six after the first 10 minutes.
Despite the hot start for the Cougars, the Heat responded in the second quarter with a 12-6 run to tie the game. They shot 47% in the quarter and found more success getting to the rim.
The Cougars wouldn't let the game stay tied for long, as they retook their lead and were able to keep it right to the end of the first half. Once the second quarter finished, they led 37-33.
The teams started the fourth quarter by trading the lead, going up and down the court. Both teams executed their offenses throughout the quarter and were able to match an opponent score with a basket of their own.
Berrios came up big for the Heat and hit a jump shot with 25 seconds left, to put the pressure back on the Cougars.
The Cougars drew up a play and turned the ball over after a high pass, but the Heat turned the ball over and fouled Matthew Guinto, who made his way to the line to make one of two free throws, tying the game with 15 seconds left.
Out of a timeout, David Okoroafor was fouled with four seconds left, stepped to the free throw line and knocked down both to give the Heat the lead.
The Heat (5-3) continue their road trip against interior rivals Thompson Rivers University WolfPack (2-4) while the Cougars (4-4) will play the MacEwan Griffins (0-8).
If you get value from KelownaNow and believe local independent media is important to our community we ask that you please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter.
If you appreciate what we do, we ask that you consider supporting our local independent news platform.
