Abbotsford, B.C. - Sweeping the weekend series, the University of Victoria men's basketball team came away with 107-67 and 86-55 wins over the University of Fraser Valley, Feb. 18-19, at the UFV Athletic Centre.

Game one: Victoria 107, Fraser Valley 67
February 18, 2022

HOW IT HAPPENED
1st Quarter – UVic 26, UFV 16

• The Cascades were the first on the board, taking a 5-0 lead over the first four minutes of play.
• A quick basket from Diego Maffia, followed by back-to-back three's from Elias Ralph and Maffia, gave the Vikes their first lead of the game, 8-7, with five minutes to play.
• Draining his third three of the opening frame, Maffia would give UVic a five-point lead, 16-11.
• The Vikes would close the first quarter on a 8-0 run over the final two minutes, sealed with a Scott Kellum jumper to hold a ten-point, 26-16 lead after 10 minutes of play.

2nd Quarter – UVic 56, UFV 22

• All Matthew Ellis out of the gate, the Calgary, Alta. native scored the first four baskets of the second quarter, putting the Vikes ahead, 34-16, with 7:30 until halftime.
• Consecutive layups from Dominick Oliveri and Ralph would lengthen UVic's run to 12-0 to open the second, 38-16, with just over five minutes to play.
• Pushing UVic's lead to over 30, Maffia knocked down three-straight three's for the 47-16 lead with three and a half minutes to play, also bringing the Vikes' run to 21-0 in the second.
• The Cascades would score their first points of the quarter with 3:21 remaining, 47-18.
• Kellum's first three of the night would not only give the Vikes a 52-20 lead, but also tie Kellum for the most career made three-pointers in program history at 204.
• Holding UFV to six points in second quarter, UVic held a 56-22 lead at the half.

3rd Quarter – UVic 80, UFV 39

• After holding a steady advantage for the opening minutes of the third, a short, 5-0 UFV run made it 66-35 in favour of the Vikes.
• However, a three from Aaron Tesfagiorgis ended any momentum for the Cascades, 69-35.
• Becoming the Victoria men's basketball all-time leader in made three-pointers, Kellum's trey with 1:25 remaining marked the 205th make of his career.
• After three quarters, Victoria held the 80-39 lead.

4th Quarter – UVic 107, UFV 67

• Keeping UFV at bay, the Vikes maintained a 40-point cushion through the first half of the fourth quarter.
• The Vikes' largest lead of the night would come at the 5:39 mark, as a Justin McChesney dunk put the Vikes ahead, 99-50.
• While the Cascades would bring UVic's lead back down to 40, the Vikes came away with the 107-67 win to open the weekend.

WORTH NOTING

• Kellum became the Victoria men's basketball program's all-time program leader in made three's with his two makes on the night. Now at 205 career three's, Kellum surpassed Ryan MacKinnon's 204 for the title.
• UVic eclipsed 100 points for the fourth time this season, with 107 marking the Vikes' highest scoring game of the year.
• Maffia's six made three's tie for the second-most by a Canada West player this season. Maffia is one-of-two players in the conference to have made seven three's this season (vs. UBCO, Nov. 5) to tie for the most in a single game.
• The Cascades' six points in the second quarter marked the third time this season the Vikes have held an opponent to a single-digit scoring quarter, holding Trinity Western to four in the fourth quarter, Oct. 29, and UNBC to six in the final frame, Dec. 3.
• Maffia led the way for the Vikes with 26 points, while also adding six rebounds and five assists in the win.
• Five total Vikes finished with double-digit scoring performances: Maffia (26), Ralph (14), Kellum (11), McChesney (11), and Ellis (10).

 
Game two: Victoria 86, Fraser Valley 55
February 19, 2022

HOW IT HAPPENED
1st Quarter – UVic 26, UFV 4

• The Vikes would jump to a quick, 10-point lead over the first five minutes of play, with a Dominick Oliveri layup making the score 12-2 for UVic.
• An Ethan Boag dunk made it a 20-point game, 24-4, with less than a minute left in the opening period.
• On a 14-0 run over final four and a half minutes, Victoria led 26-4 at the end of the first.

2nd Quarter – UVic 45, UFV 23

• With both sides scoreless for the first two minutes of the quarter, UFV would put the first points on the board, 26-6, with eight minutes to play.
• Extending the Vikes' lead to 24, Diego Maffia and Matthew Ellis knocked down back-to-back three's to make 32-8 with seven minutes until halftime.
• The Cascades began to push back, coming within 18, 41-23, with under two minutes to play. However, back-to-back layups from Justin McChesney and Matthew Ellis brought UVic's lead back to 45-23 at the end of the quarter.

3rd Quarter – UVic 58, UFV 44

• Back-and-forth to open the third, the Vikes' lead hovered between 19 and 21 points over the first six minutes.
• Elias Ralph gave the Vikes its biggest lead of the quarter with a three, 54-30, with four minutes to play.
• The Cascades scored the final six points on the quarter, outscoring the Vikes 21-13 in the third to make it 58-44 in favour of the Vikes after 30 minutes of play.

4th Quarter – UVic 86, UFV 55

• A three from Aaron Tesfagiorgis with just under nine minutes to play restored the Vikes' lead to 20, 64-44.
• On an 11-0 run, a three-pointer and layup from Oliveri gave UVic its largest lead of the night, 81-51, with two minutes to play.
• Steady to the finish, the Vikes came away with the 86-55 win to end the weekend.

WORTH NOTING

• The Vikes swept the season series against the Cascades, compiling a 3-0 record against UFV and improving to 14-1 overall on the season.
• With just four points scored by the Cascades in the first quarter, the Vikes tied their fewest points allowed in a single quarter this season (fourth quarter at Trinity Western, Oct. 29).
• A balanced scoring effort, no Vike had more than nine points through the first three quarters. Maffia was the first to reach double-digits with a layup to open the fourth quarter.
• Oliveri finished one rebound shy of a double-double, leading the Vikes in both points (15) and rebounds (9) in the win.
• Maffia finished with 13 points, five rebounds and six assists for UVic, while Ralph added 11 points, four rebounds, and two steals.

UP NEXT
The Vikes host Thompson Rivers University Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 5 p.m. inside CARSA Performance Gym.