Before a roaring crowd of both purple and blue, the University of Victoria Vikes grinded out a comeback 85–73 win over the Bishop's University Gaiters, opening up the four-day 2025 U Sports Final 8 men’s basketball tournament hosted at UBC.
The Vikes won tip-off but failed to translate their first position into first scoring. It wouldn’t be until two-and-a-half minutes into the first that UVic’s Sam Maillet found his way to the line to end an initial 8–0 run.
Gaiters kept a strong one-in-four-out offence with energetic cuts leading to defensive collapses and open looks from outside the three-point line.
This positioning led to fluid transition defence and a dominant first quarter — forcing turnovers from half-court and turning stripped balls into rim-runs and three-pointers.
The Vikes favoured a pass-first and rim-runs approach on the attacking end. Though the taller BU line-up regularly outrebounded on the offensive end, ball-motion picked away at their weakness coverage.
UVic found their rhythm in the second quarter, exploiting speed mismatches and drawing fouls on high glass layups. Defensively, Ethan Boag took control of the low post as Geoffrey James helmed the key, steering explosive half-court transitions to keep their lead at the end of the half.
Moving into the third, the Vikes pushed the offensive pace. BU responded with increasingly physical coverage, with smothering coverage by Charles Robert and Étienne Gagnon punishing any pause or slow-down from the Vikes. By the end of an aggressive quarter, Victoria had stolen the lead with a 68–56 advantage.
“I know when teams get down early, it kind of seems like the wheels are falling off, but these guys have been in that position before,” said Victoria head coach Murphy Burnatowski. “They know [that] once they kind of wake up, that we'll get the job done.”
Renoldo Robinson led UVic into the fourth, sinking a crunch-time contested three and keeping BU guards out of the key. He ended the game with a double-double, posting 18 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals as the Vikes grew confident in their ability to clean the glass. Ultimately, Victoria sealed the deal with a 12-point lead.
Named Nike Player of the Game for UVic, Shadynn Smid posted 14 points in a dominant defensive performance with 4 steals and 3 blocks.
“I just came out, was ready, and the team lifts me up every time,” Smid said of his performance.
Victoria will advance to the semifinal tomorrow at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre with a 6 p.m. tip-off. Bishop’s will appear in a consolation semifinal match on Saturday at 11 a.m.
This article is part of our 2025 Final 8 coverage. Follow us at @UbysseySports on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, as well as @theubyssey on TikTok, to follow our U Sports basketball coverage starting March 12.
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