Cameron Doherty, Huskie Athletics

SASKATOON – The visiting University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves shut down the Saskatchewan Huskies men's basketball team in the fourth quarter to pull out an 83-76 victory on Ron & Jane Graham Centre Court on Nov. 30.
 
In what was the final game of 2018 for both squads, the Timberwolves held the Huskies to 12 points below their season average and grabbed nine more rebounds than the home team.
 
Jovan Leamy and Vova Pluzhnikov were both lights out for UNBC, scoring 27 and 23 points apiece. James Agyeman finished with 15 points and eight rebounds while Austin Chandler put up a double-double with 13 and 12.
 
Lawrence Moore once again led the way for Saskatchewan with 27 points and nine rebounds, while JT Robinsonadded 18 points in the losing effort.
 
The win for the Timberwolves moves them to 6-4 on the season and sends them into the long winter break on a positive note after they snapped a three-game skid.
 
Saskatchewan meanwhile is 7-5 halfway through their schedule and are right with the Timberwolves in a congested Canada West conference that currently sees seven teams within one game of each other.
 
UNBC shot the ball ridiculously well to begin the game, knocking down 61.9 per cent of their shots in the opening frame to jump out to a 30-19 lead. Pluzhnikov and Leamy combined for 19 of those points while Moore led the Huskies with nine of his own.
 
The script was flipped in a second frame that saw Saskatchewan outscore UNBC 24-7. The Huskies defence shut down the Timberwolves transition game and seven different players scored for the home team to send them into the halftime break with the 43-37 advantage.
 
Unlike the night previous, where a big second quarter gave the Huskies a lead they wouldn't relinquish, UNBC battled back on this night and held a slim one-point lead after three quarters of play.
 
With four minutes left to play and trailing by three points, the Timberwolves would tie the game and eventually take a lead that they would never hand back.
 
Chandler grabbed an offensive rebound and finished the and-one play to give UNBC the momentum. The Timberwolves defence then denied the Huskies on six of their next seven possessions and six more points from Leamy opened the game up and allowed them to walk away with the seven-point victory.