VICTORIA – Despite a fourth-quarter comeback effort that nearly erased a 20-point deficit, the top-seeded University of Victoria men's basketball team ultimately fell to the fourth-seeded University of Calgary, 77-68, Feb. 28 at CARSA Performance Gym in the Canada West semifinal.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Vikes, Dinos trade runs in first quarter
- Griffin Arnatt scored eight of the first nine points for the Vikes, putting the home side ahead, 9-2, at the 4:45 mark of the first quarter after Victoria forced seven Dino turnovers over the first five minutes of the second half.
- The Dinos began to claw back, eventually using a six-point run to take a 12-11 lead with 48 seconds to play in the first.
- A Shadynn Smid layup was met by one from the Dinos over the final 10 seconds of the first, giving Calgary a 14-13 lead at the end of the first.
Dinos forge ahead in second, Vikes narrow deficit
- The first seven points of the second quarter went to the Dinos, giving Calgary the 22-13 lead with 8:30 to go until halftime.
- Calgary's lead reached 12, 26-14, before a Renoldo Robinson driving layup broke the Vikes' scoring drought, 26-16, with 4:47 to go.
- Robinson's layup sparked a seven-point Vikes run over the next minute and a half, adding an Aaron Tesfagiorgis three and Sergio Pereira put-back to pull the Vikes within five, 26-21, with just over four minutes until halftime.
- Though an Ethan Boag put-back made it a four-point game, 30-26, with 36 seconds to go, a pair of Calgary free throws in the final seconds brought the halftime score to 32-26 in favour of the Dinos.
Calgary extends lead in third, Vikes nearly erase deficit in the fourth
- All Calgary in the third quarter, the Dinos' lead reached 20, 57-37, with just over one minute to play in the third quarter.
- Robinson scored four points for the Vikes to Calgary's two in the final 90 seconds, but the Dinos took a 59-41 lead into the final quarter.
- A 9-2 Vikes run opened the fourth quarter scoring, capped by a Shadynn Smid layup to bring the Vikes within 12, 61-49 with seven and a half minutes to play in the quarter.
- 13-straight Vikes points on a Geoffrey James three-pointer, Sam Maillet layup, Smid three, and driving layup from Robinson brought the Vikes within four, 66-62, with 2:49 still on the clock.
- Goaltending against the Vikes added two points to the Dinos' lead, but was met with another James three to make it a one possession game, 68-65, with just under two minutes to go.
- Calgary scored the next seven points of the contest en route to closing out the 77-68 win over the Vikes in the semifinal matchup.
FROM THE COURT - Head coach Murphy Burnatowski
"It was a low-scoring first half, and we had a chance to capitalize on that and we didn't. We can't wait until the fourth quarter to start playing basketball. We showed what we can do in the last quarter, going from being down 20 points and cutting it to a one-possession game, but the urgency has to start sooner. Calgary is a good, veteran team with good, veteran leadership that isn't going to let their team lose a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter. We had to do more earlier in the game."
WORTH NOTING
- Renoldo Robinson led the Vikes with 15 points, adding four rebounds, two steals, and a team-high four assists for the Vikes.
- Sam Maillet led the Vikes with nine rebounds, adding six points and two steals in the contest.
- Shadynn Smid, appearing in his first game for the Vikes since early January after injury, finished with 13 points, four rebounds, and two steals.
- The Vikes' 30.8% (24-78) field goal shooting percentage marked their lowest of the season.
- The loss marks the first for the Vikes in the 2024-25 season. Victoria's record now sits at 21-1 (20-0, 1-1).
UP NEXT
The Vikes will await the result of the second semifinal contest between the University of British Columbia and the University of Manitoba to determine if a bronze medal game will be played. Continue to check govikesgo.com for schedule updates.