Kelowna, B.C. – A back-and-forth contest saw the University of British Columbia Okanagan edge the University of Victoria men's basketball team, 86-83, Feb. 4.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• UBCO jumped to an early lead by a score of 15-6 with 5:55 to play in the first quarter.
• Chipping away at the Heat's lead, a free throw from Ethan Boag tied the game, 17-17, before a Diego Maffia three gave the Vikes their first lead of the night, 20-17, with 2:17 to play in the opening frame.
• The Vikes held a 30-25 lead after 10 minutes of play.
• Taking advantage of a Victoria scoring drought, UBCO took a 38-36 lead with 4:30 remaining in the second quarter.
• Trading leads several more times before the half, the Heat went into the break with the 49-48 lead over the Vikes.
• Going on a 7-0 run right out of halftime, the Vikes took a 53-49 lead via Elias Ralph three-pointer and two Dominick Oliveri layups with 8:43 to play in the third.
• Ending the third quarter with the lead, Victoria held a one-point advantage, 69-68.
• Remaining close for the first seven minutes of the final quarter, a 6-0 run saw UBCO start to breakaway, going up 83-77 with three minutes to go.
• Two three-point opportunities by the Vikes in the final 10 seconds were missed, giving UBCO the 86-83 win. 

WORTH NOTING

• Maffia tallied 24 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 38 minutes of play.
• Robinson added 19 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals for the Vikes.
• Oliveri led the Vikes with team-highs in rebounds (17) and assists (4), adding eight points, one steal and one block.
• The Vikes shot 30-for-79 from the field in the loss, marking the team's second-worst shooting percentage of the season (38.0%). 
• Victoria sits at 15-3 on the season after the setback, while the Heat finish the weekend with a 6-14 mark. 

UP NEXT
The Vikes close the Canada West regular season with a home-and-home weekend with UBC, Feb. 9-11.