Late rally not enough for an Eagles hoops win

Kwantlen's Kenny Ryan (left) goes up for a shot. He was later ejected from the game for hitting a UBCO player under the net. (Mitch Thompson Photo)

As UBCO huddled and cheered, the Eagles stood on the floor, dumbstruck, unable to believe what had just happened.

The Kwantlen Eagles men’s basketball team fought hard Saturday night against the UBC-Okanagan (UBCO) Heat, but lost 65-63 when UBCO’s Alex Roth scored a buzzer-beating lay-up.

The teams were evenly matched, as they swapped leads throughout the game, and the Eagles led by one at the half. But after half time, it’s as if a different team had come out on the floor. Kwantlen’s field goal shooting stalled in the third quarter and missed foul shots began to add up.

Down by double-digits late in the fourth, Kwantlen’s Dustin Egelstad led Kwantlen to within three points of the Heat and Varinder Singh tied the game with three foul shots after being fouled beyond the arc.

With seconds left, UBCO threw up a shot that hit the rim just as the shot clock hit zero. Kwantlen thought that the game was headed to overtime, but Roth grabbed the rebound and laid the ball in to win the game for the Heat.

The loss means Kwantlen starts its season off 0-2. The team’s next game, the start of a long stretch of away games, is in Victoria against the Camosun Chargers on Nov. 13. The Eagles’ next home game is Jan. 29, 2010, against the Vancouver Island University Mariners.

Dustin Egelstad (right) catches a cross-court pass in the second half Saturday. He led a late rally by the Eagles with two three-pointers and two two-pointers, but his efforts weren't enough. (Mitch Thompson Photo)