TORONTO, Ont. – For the second-straight year the University of Victoria Vikes men's basketball team will vie for CIS bronze after losing 83-74 to a dominant Carleton Ravens in semifinal action on Mar. 14 at the Mattamy Athletic Center in Toronto, Ont. Brothers Philip and Thomas Scrubb, sons of former Vike Lloyd Scrubb were driving factors for Carleton and the pair will now contest for their fifth CIS championship title.
 
The Vikes men were led by game MVP and fourth-year point guard Marcus Tibbs who finished with 27 points, 20 of which dropped in the second half. Tibbs also logged nine assists in 35 minutes played. Former Canada West Defensive Player of the Year Reiner Theil got on the board for 16 points, 12 of which came from beyond the arc. Six-foot-ten Chris McLaughlin, playing in his second-to-last game as a Vike, had the team's only double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Grant Sitton was 5-for-8 from distance to finish with 15 points.
 
Philip Scrubb was named the game's MVP as the senior guard put away 29 points and logged 13 assists and eight rebounds. The three-time CIS Player of the Year was 4-for-6 from distance, as was team mate Victor Raso who finished with 12 points. Jean Emmanuel Pierre-Charles grabbed 14 points, while CIS Defensive Player of the Year Thomas Scrubb hauled down 12 rebounds and posted three blocks. The Ravens were 12-for-27 from beyond the arc and out-rebounded Victoria 46-30.
 
"I was proud that we didn't quit and I knew that they wouldn't," said Craig Beaucamp, Vikes head coach in his 12^th season at the helm. "We just got off to a slow start and the one thing Carleton does better than any other team in the country is they come out of the gate running."
 
It was the opening half nightmare that most teams know is inevitable when facing the No. 1 Carleton Ravens who shot 8-for-14 from beyond the arc while out-rebounding Victoria 23-11. The Ravens led for the entire half out-putting 27 and 21 points in the first and second quarters, respectively. As expected, fifth year Philip Scrubb led the charge with a first half double-double of 14 points and 10 assists. Raso was 3-for-4 from distance to grab nine points for the Ravens, while Thomas Scrubb hauled down five boards.
 
Carleton put up five three pointers in the opening quarter and gave Victoria little room to maneuver. The Ravens neutralized six-foot-ten McLaughlin, who did manage to get the crowd on their feet with a huge jam at 21-12 for Carleton. Fourth-year Vike Theil led in scoring after the opening 20 minutes totaling 11 points, nine from distance. The Vikes struggled under the boards and had difficulty finding McLaughlin inside but managed to get within eight in the second quarter, down 34-26, despite trailing by as much as 18 earlier on.
 
At the end of the first half Carleton's dominance was ever president, leading by a commanding 48-32. Carleton's first-half shooting percentage was 51 per cent from the field and 57 per cent from beyond the arc. The Vikes shot just 45 per cent from the field and were 4-for-12 from the perimeter.
 
The second half was a much more contested match from a spirited Vikes team who rallied back from a 13-2 run in the opening of the third. Trailing by 27, Sitton came off the pine to drop his second of an eventual five three pointers in the game and the Vikes were sparked to an 11-2 run of their own. Tibbs put up seven points, while Philip Scrubb's 10 points kept the Ravens out in front 67-50 at the third break.
 
In the fourth Victoria grabbed a quick six points from the hands of Tibbs and Sitton, who finally started to find the Vikes some rhythm.
 
"We just kept it a little more simple," commented Tibbs as the Vikes out-scored Carleton 24-16 in the final quarter. "We just started attacking them and being a bit more aggressive. Reiner got us started being aggressive in the first half but the rest of us were just on our heels. So, we just all kind of fed off of Reiner."
 
Theil was a defensive force, keeping Phil Scrubb at bay but Pierre-Charles kept the scoring rolling for the Ravens. Carleton powered their way to their fifth-straight CIS championship final with a final score of 83-74.
 
"Reiner Theil, I mean, I don't know if there is a guy that played Phil any tougher," added Beaucamp. "Phil had to work for every point he had and I thought Reiner was a stud out there on defence and just made Phil work really, really hard. Phil still finds a way but I thought, defensively, Reiner was the guy that kept us in the game."
 
This will be the Vikes' second-straight appearance in the CIS bronze medal game, set for Mar. 15 at 11:30 a.m. EST. The Vikes will play hosts Ryerson tomorrow and the game will be broadcast live at cis-sic.tv.
 
SCORING SUMMARY
CARL: 27-21-19-16 : 83
UVIC: 15-17-18-24 : 74
 
SCORING LEADERS
CARL: Philip Scrub (29), Jean Emmanuel Pierre-Charles (14), Victor Raso (12)
UVIC: Marcus Tibbs (27), Reiner Theil (16), Grant Sitton (15)

PLAYERS OF THE GAME
CARL: Philip Scrubb
UVIC: Marcus Tibbs

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE & RESULTS

Thursday, March 12
11:00 Quarter-final 1: No. 1 Carleton 90, No. 8 Saskatchewan 50
13:00 Quarter-final 2: No. 4 Victoria 57, No. 5 Dalhousie 56
18:00 Quarter-final 3: No. 7 Ryerson 82, No. 2 Windsor 68
20:00 Quarter-final 4: No. 3 Ottawa 91, No. 6 Bishop's 85 (OT)

Friday, March 13
14:00 Consolation 1: Saskatchewan 90, Dalhousie 79
16:00 Consolation 2: Windsor 91, Bishop's 80

Saturday, March 14
14:00 5th-place game: Saskatchewan 99, Windsor 94
18:00 Semifinal 1: Carleton 83, Victoria 74
20:30 Semifinal 2: Ottawa 84, Ryerson 75

Sunday, March 15
11:30 Bronze: Victoria vs Ryerson (Rogers TV / www.CIS-SIC.tv) *  
15:00 Final: Carleton vs Ottawa (Sportsnet 360 & ONE / www.CIS-SIC.tv) ** 
 
* Rogers TV, Rogers TV Sports +, Super Sports Pak.
** The webcast of the semifinals & final are on pay-per-view basis.