Vancouver, B.C. – The fourth-seeded University of Victoria men's basketball team opened the U SPORTS Final 8 tournament with an 85-73 victory over fifth-seeded Bishop's University in the quarterfinal round at the University of British Columbia's War Memorial Gym, March 13.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Gaiters take early lead, Vikes pull within six at end of first

• The first eight points of the game went to Bishop's, until a Sam Maillet free throw put a point on the board for Victoria, 8-1, with 7:39 to play in the opening frame.
• The Gaiters' lead grew to 14,18-4, with just under four minutes to go in the first quarter.
• 30 seconds later, a four-point play from Ethan Boag sparked UVic's scoring, and after a Bishop's bucket, saw eight-straight Vikes points from a Shadynn Smid layup and three's from Renoldo Robinson and Griffin Arnatt to pull within four, 20-16, with just under 30 seconds to play.
• A Gaiters layup in the final seconds gave Bishop's a 22-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Vikes outscore Gaiters 32-16 in the second to take lead at half

• An 8-1 run for the Vikes from a Geoffrey James and-one, Renoldo Robinson driving layup and Robinson three gave the Vikes their first lead of the day, 36-34, with just over four minutes to go until halftime.
• A quick 6-0 Vikes run on two Maillet layups and a bucket from Aaron Tesfagiorgis gave the Vikes a six-point lead, 42-36, with two minutes to go until the break.
• Five-straight points from James and a Smid free throw in the final seconds gave Victoria a 10-point lead, 48-38, at halftime.

Gaiters attempt comebacks but Vikes keep them under control in second half

• Though the Vikes remained in front for most of the third quarter, a run from the Gaiters brought Bishop's within three, 59-56, leading to a Victoria-called timeout with 3:15 to go in the third.
• Out of the timeout, the Vikes restored their 10-point lead, getting a steal-and-dunk from Smid, a free throw each from Robinson and Maillet, and a three-pointer by Tesfagiorgis for the 66-56 lead with 40 seconds to play in the third.
• A lay-in by Smid in the final seconds capped a 9-0 Vikes run to end the third, putting Victoria ahead 68-56 at the end of the third.
• The Vikes went scoreless for the first two minutes of the fourth, allowing Bishop's to pull back within three, 68-65, until a Maillet bucket put points on the board for the Vikes, 70-65, with 7:38 to play in the game.
• Forcing a Gaiters turnover, back-to-back three's from Robinson and Tesfagiorgis put the Vikes up 76-65 at the halfway mark of the fourth quarter.
• Keeping the Gaiters at a distance for the final five minutes, the Vikes came away wih the 85-73 quarterfinal win.

FROM THE COURT – Shadynn Smid
"I came out with confidence today. Murphy [Burnatowski] has always been about being confident. I was ready, and the team lifted me up every time. I had to hit them early, hit them first and be as big as I can, and trust the guys so if I box them [Bishop's] out, the guards would be there to get the rebounds."

WORTH NOTING

• Sam Maillet and Renoldo Robinson led the Vikes in scoring, each with 18 points. Maillet's points mark a season-high for the fifth-year.
• Robinson completed the double-double effort, adding a team-high 10 rebounds. He also led the Vikes with three assists.
• Shadynn Smid was named the Player of the Game following a 14-point, four-rebound performance, also recording team-highs in steals (4) and blocks (3).
• Geoffrey James added 15 points for the Vikes in the win, with two steals, two assists, and one rebound.
• The Vikes' quarterfinal marks just their first since the 2023 national championships in Halifax, N.S., a 93-92 win over UPEI.
• The Vikes improve to 23-1 (20-0, 3-1) on the season with the win.

UP NEXT
The Vikes face the winner of #1 Ottawa vs. #8 Concordia tomorrow, March 14 in the championship semifinal at 6 p.m. Catch the game on CBCSports.ca.