Langley, B.C. - The University of Victoria men's basketball team officially opened the Murphy Burnatowski era with a 99-69 victory over Trinity Western University, Oct. 31 at the Langley Events Centre in the Canada West opening game.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Spartans take early lead, Vikes take it back at end of the first

• Though Trinity Western put the first points of the game on the board, Griffin Arnatt struck for the Vikes on the next possession, drilling a three-pointer for the 3-2 Vikes lead with 9:15 to play in the opening period.
• The Spartans built a five-point lead over the first quarter, which would hold until a layup and ensuing swipe-and-score from Renoldo Robinson brought the Vikes within one, 22-21, with 1:40 to go. After a TWU turnover, Sam Maillet knocked down a three to put the Vikes back in front, 24-22, with 1:10 to play in the first quarter.
• Layups from Maillet and Robinson in the final 45 seconds gave the Vikes the 28-22 lead at the end of the first.

Vikes hold Spartans to 10 points in the second

• The Vikes limited the Spartans to just 10 points in the second quarter, six of which came from free throws. The Vikes didn't allow a Spartan field goal until 5:23 in the second quarter, while the second was scored with just 22 seconds to go.
• The Vikes put up 25 points of their own to extend their lead in the second. A pair of free throws from Arnatt and a three from Geoffrey James opened the second quarter scoring for Victoria, while a floater from Diego Maffia in the final seconds put the Vikes ahead, 53-32, at halftime.

Vikes continue to grow lead, seal win

• A seven-point advantage for the Vikes in the third quarter grew the visiting side's lead to 28 points. A layup from Aaron Tesfagiorgis and three-pointer by Ryan Gallagher in the final two minutes gave Victoria its biggest lead of the night to that point, 76-48, at the end of the third quarter.
• Seven-straight Spartan points opened the fourth quarter, bringing the score to 76-55 with the Vikes still in front. Trinity Western would not get any closer than that throughout the rest of the fourth quarter, as the Vikes extended its lead to 30 on a three from Dylan Gage, 95-65, with 2:14 to go.
• Gage recorded the final points of the game via layup with one minute left to play to seal the 99-69 win for the Vikes.

WORTH NOTING

• Renoldo Robinson led the scoring for the Vikes, recording 22 points in the win. He added nine rebounds, two steals, and one assist.
• Diego Maffia led the Vikes with five assists, adding 15 points, four steals and two rebounds in 29 minutes.
• Sam Maillet, Geoffrey James, and Dylan Gage each made their Vikes debuts. Maillet finished with seven points, four assists, and three rebounds in 17 minutes on the floor, while James added 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Gage had seven points and two assists in his first outing as a Vike.
• Shadynn Smid added a double-digit scoring performance with 10 points, adding three rebounds in 16 minutes on the floor in the win.
• With the win, Victoria has won its season-opening contest for the second-straight year.
• The win is the first Canada West victory for first-year head coach Murphy Burnatowski.
• The Vikes open the season at 1-0, while Trinity Western falls to 0-1.

UP NEXT
The Vikes host Fraser Valley for the first games in CARSA Performance Gym of the year, Nov. 2 at 5 p.m. Get your tickets here or catch the game on Canada West TV presented by BioSteel.