VICTORIA – The University of Victoria Vikes men's basketball team defeated the Regina Cougars 79-55 on Jan. 18 at McKinnon Gym. The Vikes improve to an 8-5 record, while the Cougars drop to 5-8 in Canada West basketball action.
 
BOX SCORE
 
Fourth-year Terrell Evans (Las Vegas, NV) did not shy away from adding a little flare to his scoring ways, as the Vikes' leading scorer impressed the home crowd with 26 points and seven rebounds. Rookie guard Kyle Peterson (Edmonton) put up some long-range shots to finish the night with 12 points, while Pierce Anderson (Calgary, AB) earned eight points and six rebounds.
 
The visitors were led by senior forward Paul Gareau, who totalled 21 points and eight rebounds. A gritty game from six-foot-eight Connor Burns left him with 12 points and seven rebounds, as the Cougars shot 44 per cent from the field   
 
 "We had some key guys come off the bench for us today," said Vikes head coach Craig Beaucamp. "We played well all night and hit some timely three-pointers in the fourth quarter."
 
The Vikes came out of the gate with a quick 6-0 streak thanks to some quick lay ups from both Peterson and Evans. The Vikes continued on their scoring tear, conceding only six points in the quarter to the Cougars. The home side capitalized on seven second-chance points and earned 14 first-half rebounds to end the quarter with a 19-7 advantage.
 
In the second, Evans continued his scoring ways earning nine points, while Peterson drained a long-range shot to get his second trey of the evening. The Cougars closed the gap and stayed within range as the Vikes only out-scored the visitors 20-18 to end the half with a 39-25 lead.
 
The Vikes got comfortable early in the third as Chris McLaughlin (Oakville, ON) went on a 6-0 tear that was sealed by a very long-range three from Michael Acheampong (Toronto, Ont.). Fifth-year Gareau helped claw the Cougars back within range, as the six-foot-seven forward nailed eight third-quarter points. Burns added another four to give Regina the 19-18 scoring edge despite the Vikes holding a 57-44 lead entering the fourth.
 
Gareau helped the Cougars cut the lead to four but a few timley, outside silencers by Brandon Dunlop (Victoria, BC), Dominic Ohl (Victoria, B.C.) and Brin Taylor (Edmonton) boosted the Vikes. Evans stepped back on the court to earn eight fourth-quarter points to send the Vikes to a 79-55 victory. The Vikes finished the game shooting 46 per cent from the field and earned 22 points off the bench.

The 8-5 Vikes will now turn around to host the Brandon Bobcats, while the Cougars will trek to the mainland to face the UBC Thunderbirds. Both games will take place at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live at http://canadawest.tv
 
SCORING BY QUARTER:
VIC: 19-20-18-22 : 79
REG: 7-18-19-11 : 55
 
SCORING LEADERS
VIC: Terrell Evans (26), Kyle Peterson (12) 
REG: Paul Gareau (21), Connor Burns (12)