In their quest to hand the University of Victoria Vikes their first loss of the season, the UBC men’s basketball team was unsuccessful on Thursday night, suffering a heartbreaking 90–88 defeat in Victoria. Going into the game with a 10–3 record and 7-game winning streak, UBC posed a significant threat to their rivals, but were no match for the Vikes, whose Ethan Boag scored the buzzer-beating game-winner.
The first quarter was physically intense. The Thunderbirds opened the scoring with three-pointers from Brendan Sullivan and Adam Olsen. However, the team conceded many defensive fouls trying to halt the Vikes’ fast-paced and dominating offence. The Vikes committed an equal number of fouls, but UBC was clinical from the free throw line, shooting 5/5.
Sullivan and Olsen led the attack against the Vikes, using layups and drive-ins. Meanwhile, Vikes Ryan Gallagher and Renoldo Robinson led the front against the Thunderbirds using swift ball handling and screening. The Vikes outplayed the T-Birds to end the first quarter with a 33–26 lead.
UBC fought back in the second quarter thanks to Fareed Shittu, who was key for rebounds, scoring and interceptions. His offensive and defensive efforts set the foundation for the Thunderbirds’ momentum, starting with a dunk and three-pointers to close the gap to four points. However, the Vikes didn’t give up their lead so easily and capitalized on the counterattack with Boag emerging as a standout player. He scored a blazing layup to the delight of the crowd to continue the Vikes’ lead at halftime, 56–49.
The third quarter swung in the Thunderbirds’ favour, who amped up the pressure and went on a 7–0 run in the first three minutes. They forced the Vikes into a disorganized, inconsistent attacking play and UBC’s tight defence held their opponents to just 10 points in the quarter. Capitalizing on this, Sullivan tied the game with a drive-in before Shittu took the lead. The team continued this momentum to end the quarter 71–66 for UBC.
Robinson returned to the court in the fourth, and Victoria refused to go down easy. He made his intentions clear with a 4-point play before leading the Vikes to an 8–0 run. The T-Birds attempted to double-team Robinson and Boag to quell their offence but were largely unsuccessful — the hosts equalized in the last 30 seconds and Boag capitalized on a turnover to win the game at the buzzer.
The ‘Birds will look to bounce back against the Trinity Western University Spartans on January 31 in Langley.
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