The Thompson Rivers WolfPack men’s basketball team completed a dominant weekend sweep of the UBC Okanagan Heat in Kamloops on January 9-10, clinching the 2025-26 men’s Presidents’ Cup and improving to 10-4 in Canada West play while dropping UBCO to 3-11.
On Friday, January 9, the WolfPack soared to a 95-72 victory at the TCC Gym, securing their third straight Presidents’ Cup (an annual rivalry trophy across men’s soccer, volleyball, and basketball). TRU overcame an early 20-9 Heat deficit—fueled by Isaak Moore’s 15 first-quarter points—with an 18-6 run to end the period tied at 27-26. The WolfPack then exploded in the second quarter (25-17) with a 15-4 spurt, leading 52-43 at halftime. They extended the margin to 17 in the third and sealed it with a strong fourth (24-14), highlighted by Jayden Stephens’ dunks. Stephens led TRU with 20 points (including four steals), Steve Stinson added 15 points and five assists, Dami Farinloye scored 13, and Fran Monreal debuted with nine points and 10 rebounds. For UBCO, Moore finished with 18 points (four threes), Jalen Shirley contributed 16 points and three steals, and David Usuomon added 13 points on efficient shooting.
Saturday’s January 10 rematch was a thriller, with TRU outlasting UBCO 86-82 to complete the 3-0 season sweep. The teams traded blows early, tying 20-20 after the first quarter. UBCO surged in the second (including a 10-0 run) to lead 44-36 at halftime behind Shirley’s hot shooting. TRU responded with a massive 15-0 third-quarter run to flip the script and lead 63-55 entering the fourth. The Heat rallied late, but the WolfPack held on thanks to balanced scoring and paint dominance (50-36 points in the paint). Jayden Stephens and Steve Stinson each scored 22 points to pace TRU, with Farinloye adding 15 points and five steals. UBCO’s Jalen Shirley delivered a historic performance, exploding for a program-record 43 points (15-of-18 FG, 5-of-7 3PT), surpassing the previous Heat mark of 33 set in 2012. Lamine Conde added 20 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double in three games.
