A block by Alberta's Andre Kelly with just seconds remaining helped seal a 77-74 victory for the Golden Bears over the Regina Cougars on Friday night in a Canada West men's basketball game at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.

The Cougars almost came all the way back from a deficit that reached 20 points in the second half. Alberta still led by 12 at the midway mark of the fourth, but Greishe Clerjuste kickstarted an 8-0 run and the Cougars had an opportunity to take the lead after Alberta turned the ball over near midcourt late in the game with just a one-point lead. Clerjuste fed Samuel Hillis in the paint for a layup, but Kelly elevated for the block and Tyus Jefferson grabbed the rebound and hit a pair of free throws after being fouled.

Regina had one final attempt at the buzzer to tie it up, but Clerjuste's three-pointer didn't fall.

Alberta's balanced attack saw six different players score in double figures. Ivan Ikomey and Adam Paige both had 13, Jefferson scored 12, Kelly finished with 11, and Cole Knudsen and Dwan Williams both had 10. Ranked No. 5 in U SPORTs, Alberta's record improves to 8-1 with the win.

After heating up in the second half, Clerjuste finished with a game-high 24 points for the Cougars. Carter Millar added 16 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double, while Josiah Thomas got the start and added 10 points.

The Cougars fall to 4-5 with the loss.

Regina and Alberta will clash again at the CKHS on Saturday night. They'll tip off at 8:00 following the conclusion of the women's game.