VICTORIA – A back-and-forth affair ended with the University of Victoria men's basketball team emerging victorious over the University of British Columbia, 92-80, Nov. 23 at CARSA Performance Gym.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UBC took a quick 4-0 lead to start the game, before a three from Diego Maffia brought the Vikes back within one, 4-3, with 8:06 to go in the first quarter.
- The Thunderbirds used a 7-0 run over the final two minutes of the quarter to hold a 30-16 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.
- A 14-0 UVic run in the second quarter, capped by a three from Ethan Boag, forced a UBC timeout with 3:41 until halftime and the Vikes within three, 35-32.
- Continuing their run after the timeout, a free throw by Elias Ralph concluded the 20-3 Vikes run and pulled the Vikes even, 36-36, with 2:22 until halftime.
- Taking the lead into halftime, a three-pointer by Griffin Arnatt with two seconds to go put the Vikes ahead 44-42 at the half.
- A 12-6 run by the Thunderbirds to open the third quarter put the visiting side ahead, 54-50, with 5:13 to go in the third.
- Despite Ethan Boag's dunk bringing the Vikes within one, 59-58 with under 30 seconds to go, UBC made a layup in the final seconds to hold a 61-58 lead after three quarters of action.
- Back-to-back three's by Maffia opened the fourth quarter, giving UVic the 64-61 lead with 9:17 remaining.
- A 6-0 Thunderbirds run put the visiting side back in front, 70-69, with 6:07 to play.
- Trading points over the next two minutes, the two sides stayed relatively even until 4:17 remained, when four-straight three's by Victoria gave UVic an 84-74 lead with a minute and a half to play.
- UVic remained in front for the remainder of the game, taking a 92-80 win.
WORTH NOTING
- Maffia led the Vikes with 26 points, while Ralph was close behind with 25 in the win. Renoldo Robinson was the third and final double-digit point scorer for UVic with 11.
- Sergio Pereira posted a game-high 12 rebounds for the Vikes, while Maffia recorded a game-high eight assists in the win.
- The Vikes made 17 three's in the win, besting their previous season-high of 15 set in the season-opener versus Calgary, Nov. 3.
- The Vikes have now won the last six contests against the Thunderbirds.
- Victoria improves to 4-1 on the year with the win, while UBC moves to 4-3 with the loss.
UP NEXT
The Vikes and Thunderbirds play the final game of the series Saturday, Nov. 25 at War Memorial Gym.