ABBOTSFORD, B.C. - In a back-and-forth affair that wasn't decided until the final minutes, the University of Calgary Dinos fell 78-71 to the Fraser Valley Cascades in Game 1 of their best-of-three Canada West quarterfinal Friday night at the Envision Athletic Centre.

With six players who averaged double-figure points during the regular season, the University of the Fraser Valley men's basketball team is used to having a rotating cast of leading men.

In their playoff opener on Friday evening at the Envision Athletic Centre, it was reserve Vijay Dhillon stepping into the starring role.

Third-year combo guard Vijay Dhillon rang up a team-high 20 points on Friday, highlighted by a three-pointer to beat the shot clock in the final minute of regulation for the Cascades, who have a chance to close out the series in Game 2 on Saturday (7 p.m. MT tip-off, http://cgy.canadawest.tv). Game 3, if necessary, would go Sunday at 3 p.m. MT.

Cascades power forward Nate Brown finished with 19 points, and centre Jasper Moedt led a dominant rebounding performance with a double-double (15 points, 13 rebounds). For the game, UFV out-boarded the Dinos 40-21.

Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson, the Dinos' star fifth-year point guard, tied Dhillon for game-high scoring honours with 20 points, while Canada West rookie of the year Lars Schleuter scored 17 points and Josh Owen-Thomas notched 16 off the bench.

The Dinos got off to a solid start, building a 22-15 lead late in the first quarter, but the balance of the half was defined by wild momentum swings.

The Cascades tore off a 19-2 run to surge ahead 34-24, with Kevon Parchment exploding for seven quick points during that stretch. But Calgary responded with a 14-1 run to end the second quarter – Schleuter and Owen-Thomas knocked down two triples apiece in a span of less than three minutes as the visitors took a 38-35 lead into halftime.

The third quarter was all Cascades, though – they outscored the Dinos 21-11 in the frame, and they continued the momentum into the fourth and led 64-52 with six minutes remaining in regulation after Dhillon drilled a three.

But on the ensuing Calgary possession, Parchment fouled out of the game. That gave the Dinos a boost, and they chipped away at the deficit and got it down to 66-63 after a pair of free throws from Owen-Thomas with 1:35 left.

On the next trip down, Brown fearlessly swished a three-pointer from the top of the arc, drawing the home fans to their feet. But Ogungbemi-Jackson responded with a clutch trey of his own to get it to 69-66, and there was still more than a minute remaining.

Dhillon inserted the dagger on the next UFV possession. With the shot clock ticking down, Moedt found Dhillon with a skip pass from the post, and took a dribble to gather himself before hoisting a desperation three-pointer with Ogungbemi-Jackson right in his face. The ball found nothing but net, restoring the Cascades' six-point lead with 41.4 seconds left, and the Dinos were forced to foul from that point.

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