Halifax, N.S. – A fight to the finish, the University of Victoria men's basketball defeated the University of Prince Edward Island, 93-92, in the quarterfinal round of the U SPORTS Final 8 tournament, March 10, at Scotiabank Centre.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Opening the game scoring, a Renoldo Robinson three followed by an Izzy Helman jumper put the Vikes ahead, 5-0, with 7:53 to go in the opening frame.
- Two-straight jumpers from Diego Maffia made it a 10-point game for the Vikes, 22-12, with 2:49 remaining in the first.
- A nine-point run by UPEI over the final two minutes brought the Panthers within one, 22-21, after the first 10 minutes of play.
- Rebuilding their lead, a pair of free throws by Helman gave the Vikes a 13-point cushion, 50-27, with 2:36 until the half.
- After another two-minute run by UPEI shrunk the Vikes' lead to three, 50-47, before a Maffia three at the buzzer gave the Vikes a 53-47 lead going into halftime.
- Putting the Vikes back up by 12, a Dominick Oliveri layup made the score 61-49 for the Vikes with 8:32 to go.
- Five-straight points in the final 30 seconds by the Panthers brought the score to 77-72 in favour of the Vikes after three quarters of play.
- UPEI opened the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run, taking an 82-77 lead over the Vikes with 7:42 to play.
- Scoring the final five points for Victoria, Maffia's driving layup tied the game, 90-90, and was followed by a three-pointer in the final 20 seconds to capture the win for the Vikes, 93-92.
WORTH NOTING
- The win marked the Vikes' first quarterfinal win at the U SPORTS Final 8 since March 12, 2015, a 57-56 win over Dalhousie.
- Maffia led the Vikes with a 40-point night, adding four assists, two rebounds, and one steal in the win.
- Helman added 15 points, three assists, and two rebounds for Victoria.
- Robinson and Elias Ralph secured double-digit scoring figures for UVic with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
- Oliveri recorded 14 rebounds to lead the Vikes.
- The Vikes move to 21-3 on the year with the win.
UP NEXT
The Vikes face hosts and AUS champions St. FX tomorrow, March 11 in the semifinal at 8 p.m.