VANCOUVER – The No. 10 University of Victoria Vikes had a big third-quarter surge to roll past the No. 7 UBC Thunderbirds 68-58 in Canada West men's basketball action on Nov. 7 in Vancouver. Reiner Theil found his offensive strides in the third game of his fourth season as the 2013 Canada West Defensive Player of the Year finished with a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds.
 
With the victory, the Vikes improve to 3-0 while the Thunderbirds drop to 0-1.
 
A Jordan Jensen-Whyte three-point basket gave UBC a 40-36 advantage with 6:11 left in the third quarter. But on the ensuing possession, point guard Marcus Tibbs replied with a triple of his own for Victoria, the first three points of a 13-2 run that turned the tide in favour of the visitors. Theil capped off the run with a bucket and two foul shots that made it 52-42 for the Vikes with 2:10 remaining in the third.
 
Victoria kept the momentum going in the final frame, opening with another Tibbs three-pointer to increase its lead to 14 points, the largest of the night, at 58-44.
 
The T-Birds got to within seven points with about two minutes to go but Mack Roth scored about a half minute later before Chris McLaughlin added a final foul shot to restore the double-digit lead before the final whistle.
 
Theil, Tibbs, Roth and McLaughlin were the four Vikes who reached double digits on the score sheet.
 
Tibbs had 15 points and four assists, while both Theil and Tibbs knocked back three three-point shots tonight. Roth and McLaughlin chipped in with 12 and 11, respectively, and both also grabbed eight rebounds.
 
The two teams were tied 29-29 at the half. After giving up a 10-0 run to allow UBC to go ahead 29-21, the Vikes recorded the last eight points of the half to even the score. McLaughlin and Roth alternated baskets to give Victoria momentum, which was extended into the third quarter.
 
Victoria was 24-of-65 shooting (36.9 per cent) from the field tonight while UBC was 22-of-60 (36.7 per cent). The visitors also out-rebounded the Thunderbirds 46-37.
 
The two teams will face off again at War Memorial Gym at UBC on Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed with live stats and video at canadawest.tv.

SCORING SUMMARY
UBC: 19-10-15-14 : 58
UVIC: 13-16-26-13 : 68

SCORING LEADERS
UBC: Tommy Nixon (13), Jordan Jensen-White (13), Conor Morgan (11)
UVIC: Reiner Theil (18), Marcus Tibbs (15), Mack Roth (12)