VICTORIA, B.C. - Senior guard #Zac Andrus# of Vashon Island, Wa., was in the right place at the right time, pouncing on a missed three-point attempt from Vikes teammate #Ryan MacKinnon#, driving up to sink the game-winning lay-up as the UVic Vikes men's basketball team improved to 5-0 with a 77-75 win over the Thompson Rivers WolfPack at Ken and Kathy Shields Court at McKinnon Gymnasium in front of  1,456 fans on Friday.

BOX SCORE

The electric atmosphere was a showcase of fan-friendly CIS basketball at its finest in a contest featuring runs, great defensive stands and timely shooting. The second half saw the teams exchange the lead a number of times - 14 through the contest.

MacKinnon, named Applebee's Vikes player of the game, of Comox, B.C., led the Vikes with 18 points and five rebounds along with three steals, with Andrus chipping in with 16 points, six rebounds and two assists. Justin King paced the WolfPack with a game-high 35 points and 13 rebounds and was 14-for-15 from the charity stripe.

The teams meet again Saturday night at 7 p.m. in Victoria.

Andrus said they were fortunate to get the win over a gritty and determined WolfPack squad.

"We lacked intensity tonight, despite having a pumped up crowd," Andrus said. "We did not play smart basketball tonight. We took a lot of shots we shouldn't have, then we had three unforced turnovers in the final minutes. Without a doubt, we have to be better (Saturday) night."

The Vikes opened the game on a 7-0 run and led 9-2 over Thompson Rivers before the WolfPack stormed back, led by the hot shooting of Justin King to lead 16-14 after the opening quarter.

#Reiner Theil# drained a bomb from downtown as time expired to close out the second half and the Vikes enjoyed a 33-32 edge at the half-time break.

In the third, the Vikes opened up a on a 10-6 run but the seesaw period solved nothing, and UVic remained ahead by one with a 56-55 lead entering the fourth.

Then in the fourth, the Vikes held a 66-59 lead entering the final six minutes, but Thompson Rivers cut the lead to two points with three minutes left. King drained four straight shots from the line to tie the game at 72. Then Andrus nailed a three, only to be answered again by King who hit a shot from just above the foul-line and drew a foul on MacKinnon, converting it to tie the game at 75.

Acheampong inbounded the ball to Andrus who dished it to MacKinnon. He took a screen from #Michael Berg# of Burnaby, B.C., but his shot was wide. Andrus jumped on the missed shot while the ball was falling and perfectly timed the catch and release for the winning basket. He was soon greeted by hundreds of Vikes fans who ran onto the court to share in the celebration.

"I think Ryan had a good look but I saw that his shot was off to the left. I just jumped on it," Andrus said of the winning basket. "No one boxed out and I got in."

"We didn't want overtime, you never know what can happen in overtime," Andrus said. "We're happy now to be 5-0 but we can't get caught up in the standings, we have to play very well and to our calibre every night."

NOTES: Brothers Reese and Kevin Pribilsky faced off tonight in a battle of Oak Bay grads… Former R.C. Palmer Griffins teammates Vijay Dhillon (UVic) and Mike Zayas (TRU) also met, the first time the freshmen have faced each other after winning a B.C. provincial high school title just eight months ago.

SCORING SUMMARY
MBB: UVic 77 Thompson Rivers 75
(At Ken and Kathy Shields Court at McKinnon Gymnasium, Victoria, B.C.)
        1    2    3    4    - T
TRU    16    16    23    20    - 75
UVIC    14    19    23    21    - 77
Leading Scorers: TRU - Justin King 35 points, 13 rebounds; UVIC - Ryan MacKinnon 18 points, Mike Berg 10 points, 8 rebounds, Zac Andrus 16 points, six rebounds, two assists