The University of Regina's men's basketball team lost to the University of Victoria Vikes 74-62 on Friday night in the Canada West semifinals.
 
The Vikes were led by the duo of Scott Kellum and Diego Maffia, who scored 22 and 20 points, respectively. The pair combined to go 8-of-16 from three to send Victoria to the Canada West finals tomorrow. With the win, the Vikes also secured a berth to the U SPORTS Final 8, which will take place in Edmonton from April 1-3.
 
The first quarter was a low scoring affair, as the Cougars struggled to get baskets. They shot 4-of-17 from the field and only hit one of their seven three-point attempts. The game was tied at 4-4 three minutes into the game. The Vikes started to get hot from the field after that, finishing the rest of the quarter on a 12-5 run to lead 16-9 after the opening 10 minutes.
 
The Cougars shooting woes continued in the second quarter, going 4-of-18 from the field. They did, however, hit all six of their free throw attempts to score 16 in the frame. Cougars guard Josiah Thomas hit a three with 2:36 left in the second to tie the game at 25-25. Victoria responded by closing the quarter on a 9-0 run by hitting three triples to take a 34-25 lead into halftime.
 
With 8:19 left in the third quarter, a Majok Madol made free throw cut the Vikes' lead to just four points at 34-30. That would be the closest the Cougars got, as Victoria kept scoring to keep the game out of reach. Both teams scored 17 points in the third as Victoria held a 51-42 lead into the final quarter.
 
Victoria kept their foot on the gas pedal in the fourth quarter, continuing to score every time the Cougars cut the Vikes lead down to single digits. Kellum scored 12 points in the quarter to ice the game and send Victoria into the final round of the playoffs.
 
Dominick Oliveri had a double-double for the Vikes with 11 points and 14 rebounds. The other Victoria player to score in double-digits was Matthew Ellis, who finished with 11 points and five offensive rebounds.
 
Cougars forward Carter Millar scored a team-high 17 points, while also adding eight rebounds and two assists. Brayden Kuski (12 points, two rebounds), Thomas (nine points, three rebounds, two assists), and Madol (eight points, six rebounds, one block) had solid performances for the Cougars in the loss.
 
The Cougars will take on the University of Saskatchewan Huskies tomorrow in the bronze medal game with the final U SPORTS Final 8 berth on the line. The game against their provincial rival is set for 6:00 p.m. tip-off in Edmonton.
 
The Vikes will take on the University of Alberta Golden Bears in the Canada West finals tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. Both teams have already secured a spot in the national tournament.  

 

Kuski drains an insane shot to keep the game within reach! pic.twitter.com/xzLCpKAdzX

— U of R Cougars MBB (@cougsmbb) March 19, 2022