Quebec City, Que. – The University of Victoria men's basketball team finished sixth at the 2024 U SPORTS Final 8 following an 80-70 loss to the Université du Québec à Montréal in the consolation final, March 10 at the PEPS-Amphithéâtre Desjardins.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UQAM put the first points of the game on the board, but was met with a Diego Maffia layup in the following possession to tie the game, 2-2, with 8:53 to play in the opening quarter.
- Going back-and-forth for the next five minutes, the Citadins took a 17-14 lead at the 3:17 mark of the frame and sparked an 11-0 Vikes run on a Shadynn Smid jumper, Elias Ralph free throw and two Maffia three-pointers and set of free throws for the 25-17 Vikes lead with 58 seconds to go in the first.
- Holding UQAM scoreless for the final three minutes of the first, the Vikes held the 25-17 lead after the opening 10 minutes of play.
- A pair of free throws from Sergio Pereira gave the Vikes a nine-point lead, 31-22, before four-straight points from the Citadins brought the lead down to five, 31-26, at the halfway point of the second quarter.
- Though a three from Ralph and jumper from Maffia put the Vikes back up by eight, 36-28, 13-straight points by UQAM gave the Citadins the 43-38 lead with five seconds left on the clock in the second.
- A free throw by Maffia with less than a second left on the clock brought the score to 43-39 in favour of UQAM at halftime.
- Five Vikes points via a Smid dunk and Aaron Tesfagiorgis three brought the Vikes back within three, 48-45, with 6:34 to go in the third quarter.
- The Citadins took a 10-point lead, 55-45, at the 4:33 mark before a Ralph turnaround jumper brought the score to 55-47 with just over four minutes to play in the third.
- Following a near-three minute scoring drought for the Vikes, an Izzy Helman bucket put the final points of the third quarter on the board to bring UQAM's lead to 61-49 after 30 minutes of action.
- The Citadins' lead to grew to 17, 68-51, at the 8:20 mark of the fourth quarter.
- Back-to-back three's from Ryan Gallagher and Helman made it a 10-point game, 72-62, with 2:54 to go in the fourth.
- A final three-pointer from Maffia in the final seconds brought the final score to 80-70 in favour of the Citadins.
WORTH NOTING
- Maffia earned his second U SPORTS Player of the Game nod following a 24-point, seven-assist, and six-rebound day.
- Ralph tallied 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds for the Vikes, while Smid added eight points and five boards for Victoria.
- Helman and Robinson added five points each.
- Victoria ends the year with two awards from U SPORTS: Player of the Year and First Team All-Canadian Diego Maffia, and Coach of the Year Craig Beaucamp.
- The Vikes finish the 2023-24 season with a 21-5 overall record through conference and postseason play.
UP NEXT
The Vikes' 2023-24 season has come to a close with the completion of the 2024 U SPORTS Final 8.