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University of Victoria Athletics

University of Victoria Varsity Athletics
Scott Kellum CW Playoffs 2022
Brad Hamilton
62
Regina Cougars (M) REG 13-5
74
Winner Victoria Vikes (M) VIC 19-1
Regina Cougars (M) REG
13-5
62
Final
74
Victoria Vikes (M) VIC
19-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Regina Cougars (M) REG 9 16 17 20 62
Victoria Vikes (M) VIC 16 18 17 23 74

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Alexis Chevalier, Vikes Sports Information

Vikes to play for gold after defeating Cougars in Canada West semifinals

Edmonton, Alta. – Advancing to the Canada West gold medal game, the University of Victoria men's basketball team defeated the University of Regina, 74-62, in the semifinals of the Canada West Final Four, March 18.

HOW IT HAPPENED
1st Quarter – UVic 16, Regina 9
  • Four points from Regina opened the game scoring, until back-to-back buckets from Matthew Ellis tied the game, 4-4, with 7:20 to go.
  • Dominick Oliveri gave the Vikes their first lead of the night with a layup, 6-4, with 6:42 to play.
  • A jumper from Diego Maffia and free throw from Scott Kellum marked nine unanswered points for the Vikes, who took a 9-4 lead with 6:09 remaining.
  • Five points on an Oliveri layup, Kellum jumper, and Ethan Boag free throw put UVic in front, 14-6, with two minutes to go.
  • Trent Monkman added a bucket in the final minute for the 16-9 Vikes lead after the opening 10 minutes of play.
2nd Quarter – UVic 34, Regina 25
  • Similar to the opening of the first quarter, Regina would put the first points on the board in the second. A jumper and pair of free throws cut the Vikes' lead to three, 16-13, with just under eight minutes to go.
  • Stealing the ball from the Cougars, Maffia returned it for a three to push UVic's lead back to six, 21-15, with 6:46 to play.
  • Two free throws and a layup from Regina made it a two-point game, 21-19, with five and a half minutes remaining.
  • After a Kellum jumper and Oliveri layup made it a 25-19 game for the Vikes, back-to-back three's from the Cougars tied the game, 25-25, with just under three minutes on the clock.
  • A 9-0 Vikes run closed the half, coming by way of one three-pointer from Kellum and two-straight from Maffia, giving Victoria the 34-25 lead at halftime.
3rd Quarter – UVic 51, Regina 42
  • A Regina three in the opening 10 seconds, followed by two free throws by the Cougars cut the Vikes' lead to four, 34-30, with 8:17 to go.
  • Aaron Tesfagiorgis pushed UVic's lead back out to seven, 37-30, with a three-pointer with 8:05 on the clock.
  • The Vikes extended their lead to 12 on a free throw from Maffia, layup by Elias Ralph, and Ellis jumper, making it a 45-33 game with 5:24 to play.
  • The Cougars would bring the Vikes' lead down to nine, which UVic would maintain for the remainder of the third to take a 51-42 lead into the fourth quarter.
4th Quarter – UVic 74, Regina 62
  • Maffia opened the fourth quarter with a three, pushing the Vikes' lead back to 12, 54-42, in the opening seconds.
  • Giving the Vikes their largest lead of the game, a three from Kellum made it 57-42 in favour of the Vikes with 9:07 on the clock.
  • With just over three minutes to play, five-straight points from the Cougars brought the Vikes' lead down to eight, 63-55.
  • However, Victoria put an end to the closing gap with an Oliveri free throw and Kellum three-pointer to restore a 12-point lead, 67-55, with two and a half minutes remaining.
  • Keeping the Cougars at least nine points away for the remainder of the night, the Vikes pulled away for a 12-point, 74-62 win.
WORTH NOTING
  • The win moves the Vikes to 19-1 on the season and increases their win streak to 18 games.
  • Advancing to the gold medal game, the Vikes will look for their first Canada West title since the 2014-15 season.
  • Leading the way in the win was Kellum, who tallied 22 points, six rebounds, and three assists for the Vikes.
  • Maffia was close behind, adding 20 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals in the win.
  • Oliveri recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and 14 rebounds.
  • Ellis added an 11-point, eight-rebound night for UVic in the victory.
  • With the win and position in the Canada West finals secured, the Vikes clinched their spot in the U SPORTS Championship tournament. 
THOUGHTS FROM SCOTT KELLUM
"It was a good battle, back-and-forth and very defensive. We have a great team, and everyone came out and contributed tonight," remarked the Canada West First Team All-Star. "Our defence is something we can always rely on. Offence is going to come and go, and today it wasn't always there for us. We had to keep grinding it out."

"We're excited for tomorrow. We're ready. We're going to go out, have fun, play our game. We're going in with full confidence."

UP NEXT
The Vikes will face the top-seeded University of Alberta in the Canada West gold medal game tomorrow, March 19, at 8 p.m. MT. Both ranked nationally by U SPORTS, the Golden Bears hold the No. 2 ranking, while the Vikes are No. 3.
 
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