EDMONTON – Ryan MacKinnon's 32 points, which included going 6 for 7 from behind the arc, led the Vikes to a 93-91 overtime win over the Alberta Golden Bears.
It was an offensive showdown at the University of Alberta, as Ryan MacKinnon and Marco Dolcetti shot the lights out, combining for ten three-pointers, with seven of them coming in the second half.
MacKinnon set the tone right away, draining a three-pointer on UVic's first basket of the game. Alberta responded quickly, pulling out to a seven point lead halfway through the first quarter. The Vikes patiently worked their way back into it, and ended the quarter up 23-21. A strong second quarter saw the Vikes keep pulling ahead, leading by as much as 14 points, and finishing the half with a 51-40 lead.
The Golden Bears outscored UVic in both the third and fourth quarters, but thanks mainly to MacKinnon and Dolcetti's work from behind the arc, the Vikes kept a slight lead until three minutes into the fourth quarter. Alberta would lead for the remainder of the quarter, until Marco Dolcetti tied it up with 28 seconds remaining. Neither team was able to score again in reguation time.
The tight contest continued in OT with the lead exchanging several times. A Ryan MacKinnon layup with 6 seconds to go put the Vikes up by one, 92-91, and a Jeff Cullen free throw sealed the victory for UVic.
Alberta's Daniel Ferguson led all scorers with 36, while the top scorers for the Vikes were MacKinnon with 32, Marco Dolcetti with 18 and Mike Berg with 14.
The Vikes finish the first half of Canada West Conference play with a 7-5 record. Next games for UVic will be an exhibition series in Calfornia December 28-30. Conference play resumes January 7 and 8 as the Vikes host Trinity Western University at McKinnon Gym.
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