Vancouver, B.C. - The University of Victoria men's basketball team, ranked No. 1 in U SPORTS, claimed a 93-80 win over No. 2 University of British Columbia, Nov. 15 in the first-of-two games inside War Memorial Gym. 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Vikes hold lead through first half

• The Vikes put the first points of the game on the board courtesy of an Ethan Boag layup.
• Though the Thunderbirds would tie with a bucket of their own, the Vikes would embark on a 14-2 run, capped by a three-pointer and layup from Diego Maffia to take a 16-4 lead with seven minutes to play in the opening frame.
• Continuing to hold a double-digit lead, a dunk from Sergio Pereira marked the final points of the first quarter and brought the Vikes' lead to 31-19.
• In the second quarter, the Vikes' lead grew to as big as 14, but most of their scoring was matched by the Thunderbirds.
• A Geoffrey James three at the buzzer sent the Vikes into halftime with a 54-41 lead after grabbing a narrow 23-22 scoring edge over UBC in the second frame.

Vikes stay on top to close out win

• The Thunderbirds came within seven points during the third quarter, but was immediately met with a Maffia three to bring the Vikes' lead back to 10, 68-58, with five and a half minutes to play.
• UBC finished with 23 points to the Vikes' 20 in the third quarter, but the Vikes remained in front, 74-64 heading into the final frame.
• Opening the fourth on a 12-2 run, a Shadynn Smid layup, Aaron Tesfagiorgis three and jumper, and Renoldo Robinson three and pair of free throws gave the Vikes an 86-68 cushion.
• Keeping the Thunderbirds under control for the final minutes, the Vikes came away with the 93-80 win.

WORTH NOTING

• Diego Maffia led the Vikes scoring with 23 points, adding seven rebounds and a team-high five assists in the win. Maffia is now 31 points away from breaking the Vikes' all-time league scoring record, currently held by Spencer McKay (1,657 points).
• Ethan Boag tied his season-high with 17 points, going 7-9 from the field. He added five rebounds, two assists, and a block for the Vikes.
• Shadynn Smid tallied a career-high 17 points in the win, and tied for the team-high with eight rebounds.
• Renoldo Robinson finished with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Geoffrey James rounded out the double-digit point scorers with 11.
• The Vikes move to 5-0 on the year, while UBC moves to 4-1. 

UP NEXT
The two top-ranked teams in the country face off for a second time at 6 p.m. in Vancouver. Catch the game on Canada West TV presented by BioSteel.