VICTORIA – Breaking away in the fourth quarter, the No. 1-seeded University of Victoria men's basketball team defeated the eighth-seeded University of Regina, 88-70, in the Canada West quarterfinals at CARSA Performance Gym, Feb. 18.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Victoria and Regina combined for five made three-pointers to start the game, with the Cougars scoring three to the Vikes' two to take a 9-6 lead with 6:02 to play in the opening frame.
- A driving layup by Ethan Boag gave the Vikes their first lead of the night, 14-13, with 1:31 to play in the first.
- Regina scored the final basket of the first quarter to hold a 15-14 lead after 10 minutes of play.
- A dunk from Elias Ralph and a Renoldo Robinson and-one forced a Regina timeout with the Vikes ahead, 21-17, with 8:43 until the half.
- Re-taking the lead via Diego Maffia three and Izzy Helman three, the Vikes went ahead 29-28 with 3:47 until halftime.
- A layup from Diego Maffia sent the game into halftime tied, 33-33.
- The Cougars opened the third quarter on an 8-0 run, taking a 41-33 lead before a pair of free throws from Ralph put the Vikes on the board, 41-35, with 8:19 to play in the quarter.
- After Regina tied the game, 52-52 with eight seconds to play, Maffia hit a three at the buzzer to give Victoria the 55-52 advantage heading in to the final quarter of play.
- Forcing a Cougars timeout, a quick three from Jaden Touchie followed by a layup from Dominick Oliveri on the breakaway gave the Vikes an eight-point cushion, 77-69, with 3:10 to play in the fourth.
- Holding Regina scoreless for the final three minutes, the Vikes claimed the quarterfinal win, 88-70.
WORTH NOTING
- After an 0-9 start from the field, Maffia found his groove and led the Vikes with a 30-point performance, adding eight rebounds and a team-high nine assists and four steals in the win.
- Three more Vikes finished with double-figure scoring performances in Ralph (20), Robinson (12), and Helman (11).
- Oliveri led UVic on the boards with 10 rebounds.
- The Vikes improve to 18-3 in Canada West regular season and postseason play with the win, while the Cougars end their season at 11-11.
UP NEXT
The Vikes host a Canada West semifinal matchup Friday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.