VICTORIA – The top-seeded University of Victoria men's basketball team defeated ninth-seeded University of the Fraser Valley 106-84 in the quarterfinal round of the Canada West playoffs at CARSA Performance Gym, Feb. 22.
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
UFV takes lead in first quarter, Vikes end on a run

• UFV not only put the first four points of the game on the board, but used the first seven and a half minutes of the game to grow an eight point lead, 25-17, with 2:35 to play in the first.
• A 9-2 Vikes run comprised of a Griffin Arnatt three-pointer, Sam Maillet put-back, Renoldo Robinson layup and an Arnatt put-back at the buzzer brought the Vikes back within one, 27-26, at the end of the first quarter.

Vikes lead at half

• After a pair of free throws by Arnatt tied the game, 31-31, an Ethan Boag layup put the Vikes in front, 33-31, with 5:36 to play in the second quarter.
• Continuing their 14-0 run, five straight points from Aaron Tesfagiorgis, a layup from Robinson, and a Boag three gave the Vikes a 43-31 advantage with 3:46 to play.
• Outscoring the Cascades 27-9 in the second quarter, the Vikes took a 53-36 lead into halftime.

UFV attempts comeback in third; Vikes hold them off to seal win

• A Boag jumper and Geoffrey James three in the opening minute of the third quarter put the Vikes ahead by 20, 58-38. However, the Cascades knocked down two straight three-pointers in their next possessions to bring the Vikes' lead down to 58-44 with 7:58 to play.
• Eight-straight Cascade points narrowed the Vikes' lead to eight, 63-55, with 4:43 to go in the third.
• Working their way back to a double-digit lead, a Ryan Gallagher layup at the 2:11 mark gave Victoria a 15-point lead, 74-59, with just over two minutes left in the third.
• A pair of free throws from Tesfagiorgis in the final seconds brought the score to 80-67 in favour of the Vikes at the end of the third.
• Outscoring the Cascades 26-17 in the fourth quarter, thanks in part to four three-pointers from Dylan Gage in the frame, the Vikes came away with the 106-84 victory.

FROM THE COURT – Head coach Murphy Burnatowski
"UFV came to play. Obviously we got up a little bit, but they didn't let us get out of the danger zone. They fought back- they're physical, they're big, and play super hard. The second you relax against them, they're going to make you pay. You have to bring 40 minutes, and you have to be prepared to fight the entire way and end up with some bumps and bruises. But credit to them, it was close for most of the game and we were able to pull away a little bit at the end."
 
WORTH NOTING

• Six Vikes finished with double-digit point totals, led by Ethan Boag with 19. Renoldo Robinson, Dylan Gage and Griffin Arnatt each finished with 14, while Sam Maillet and Aaron Tesfagiorgis each recorded 13 in the win.
• Maillet secured the double-double effort with a team-high 10 rebounds, and also led the Vikes with six assists in the win.
• The 106 points scored marks the fourth time this season the Vikes have scored 100 or more points.
• Victoria improves to 21-0 on the year (20-0, 1-0) with the quarterfinal round victory.

UP NEXT
The Vikes host the University of Calgary Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. inside CARSA Performance Gym. Get your tickets here or catch the game on Canada West TV presented by BioSteel.