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Brandon over UBC article by Dan Stinson in the Vancouver Sun

Ron Rauch from Victoria Times-Colonist reports on last night's Vic/Regina match

Victoria (11-4) 72, Regina (7-6) 57 From Mike Tucker, UVic SID... Kinnear, Vikes stay perfect at home VICTORIA - Using a career high 16 points from Rob Kinnear, the UVic Vikes ran away with a 72-57 victory over the Regina Cougars in their first home game of the New Year in front of 1,010 fans. The Vikes are undefeated, at 5-0, in home conference games at McKinnon Gym this season. Playing in their first home game in six weeks, the UVic Vikes wasted little time in showing how strong a team they are on the home court. The Vikes used a 16-0 run in the opening quarter, along with four three-pointers, to coast to the easy win. The Vikes improve to 11-4 on the season. The fifth-year forward Kinnear finished the night shooting 6-for-10, including 2-for-4 from three-point territory, to finish with 16 points. The Saanichton native's previous career high was 15, which was set in last Saturday's win over Trinity Western. Entering the 2007-08 season, Kinnear had a career average of 1.8 points per game, but this season is fourth on the team in scoring with an average of 7.6. The Vikes also got a big boost from third year forward Mitch Gudgeon and rookie guard Ryan MacKinnon. Gudgeon recorded a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds. MacKinnon, who was announced Wednesday as a finalist for the Sport BC High School Athlete of the year, netted 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting, and also added three steals. Fourth-year forward Tyler Hass provided the highlight of the first half, throwing down a one-handed jam over the helpless Regina defender near the start of the second quarter. Shortly after Hass' dunk the Vikes grabbed a 21-point lead, their largest of the game, on a Kinnear three-pointer. The Vikes entered the locker rooms at the half ahead 44-25. The Vikes hot offensive production cooled in the second half, yet the Cougars were unable to take full advantage. The Canada West's third-best three-point offence made just 2 of 16 attempts from long range, and leading scorer Jeff Lukomski was held scoreless. The closest Regina would come was within 11 points, as Jayes Tarka opened the fourth quarter with a two-handed dunk. The Cougars were led in scoring by Bryden Wright, who netted a game high 19 points on 8-for-15 shooting. Jamal Williams contributed 13, also adding eight rebounds. On Saturday night, the Vikes host the Brandon Bobcats, owners of the league's longest win streak at seven games. The no. 8 ranked Bobcats are coming off a 92-78 victory over the no. 2-ranked UBC Thunderbirds. In pre-season action at McKinnon Gym, the Vikes fell 77-66 to Brandon. Tip-off is 8 p.m. UVic/Regina Box Score

Brandon/UBC game report from UBC Sports Info plus Box Score

Thompson Rivers upset Simon Fraser in Burnaby From SFU Sports Info; Burnaby, B.C. – Playing only three days after their overtime loss to the UBC Thunderbirds, the Simon Fraser University Clan men’s basketball team faded in the second half, coughing up a two-point halftime lead to fall 91-75 Friday to the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack. More impressive perhaps was the fact that the Wolfpack were playing without head coach Nevin Gleddie, serving a two-game Canada West suspension due to accumulated technical fouls. The loss drops the Clan to 7-7, while the win was only Thompson Rivers (2-13) second of the season. The teams traded the lead twice in the first quarter, with TRU opening up a four-point advantage (25-21) after one frame. The ‘Pack opened up a six-point advantage twice in the second quarter, however a late Clan run allowed SFU to take a 42-40 lead into halftime. The first half was highlighted by the play of the Burkes, as Simon Fraser’s Sean Burke (North Vancouver, B.C.) scored 12 points in the first frame, while Thompson Rivers Kamar Burke posted 13 over the first two periods. Burke and Brian Smith however went off in the third period, propelling TRU to 28 third quarter points and opening up an eight point lead (68-60) after three quarters. That trend continued in the fourth, as the Wolfpack rolled to a surprising victory over the Clan. Kamar Burke and Smith each finished with a game high 18 points for Thompson Rivers, while Lucian Sauciuc added 13 points. TRU had five players reach double figures in scoring, while out rebounding the Clan 36-to-32. For SFU, Burke finished with 16 points, while Greg Wallis (Victoria, B.C.) added 13 points and eight rebounds. JP Kamand netted 12 points, while Kevin Shaw finished with 11. SFU committed 21 turnovers on the evening. The Clan will host the UCFV Cascades on Saturday evening. Game time is set for 5 pm (Clan Radio).

Fraser Valley knocks off Trinity Western HAVILAND’S THREE POINT BARRAGE LEADS CASCADES PAST SPARTANS LANGLEY, British Columbia – Joel Haviland (Abbotsford, B.C.) out-dueled Luke Robinson (Ahousat, B.C.) to help University College of the Fraser Valley defeat Trinity Western University Spartans 89-76. Haviland hit eight three pointers and finished with 26 points and four rebounds. Robinson was heroic in the loss for the Spartans with a career high 31 points, including six threes of his own, and also added six rebounds and four steals. “Luke is a fifth year guy, and he was phenomenal,” TWU head coach Pat Lee said. “He’s definitely one of the better players in this league. He and the guys played hard tonight. All we needed was a possession or two, and we just couldn’t get it when we needed it.” The Cascades sixth win of the season keeps them in fourth place in the Canada West Pacific division, and also gives them a tie-breaker over the Spartans in the playoff race. The two teams split their previous games in Abbotsford, B.C. in early December. The loss for the Spartans drops them to 7-8 in fifth place. TWU led by one after one 19-18 in front of a capacity crowd at TWU’s David E. Enarson Gymnasium, but UCFV grinded out a five point advantage in the second quarter to lead 35-30. Haviland and Robinson each had eight points at the break, saving their fireworks for the second half. Haviland would catch fire first, nailing five of six three point attempts as the Cascades outscored the Spartans 32-22 to lead by 15. Robinson scored eight points in the quarter, but he wouldn’t heat up until the fourth quarter. The Spartans chipped away at the Cascades lead early in the final frame, as Robinson and TWU gained momentum. After back to back Robinson threes, suddenly the Spartans were down just six points with five minutes to play. But that’s as close as TWU would get, as on the very next play Haviland buried his eight three of the night to push the lead back to nine, and the Cascades would hang on from there. Robinson carried the Spartans in the fourth, hitting four threes and scoring 15 more points but it wasn’t quite enough. Haviland was one of five UCFV players in double figures, including Doug Plumb’s (Pitt Meadows, B.C.) 19 points. Two other Spartans hit double digits, as Joe Vroom (Abbotsford, B.C.) and Jason Keegstra (Vernon, B.C.) finished with 10 points apiece. The Spartans next game is at home tomorrow night at 8 p.m. against the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack. The Cascades travel to Burnaby, B.C. to face the Simon Fraser University Clan, which is also an 8 p.m. start. Game Notes- Robinson’s 31 points were the eighth highest single game total in Spartans history…His six three pointers in a game ties him for third best in TWU history…The game was broadcast live on gospartans.ca. From Kim Moser, Fraser Valley Haviland’s long-range shooting leads Cascades past Spartans, 89-76 ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – UCFV’s Joel Haviland (Abbotsford, B.C.) hit eight three-pointers as the Cascades defeated Trinity Western, 89-76, on Friday night. With the win, UCFV improves to 6-7 on the year, while the Spartans fall to 5-10. Haviland, who finished with a team-high 26 points, shot 61.5% from behind the arch (8-of-13). His eight three-pointers are a UCFV record and a career-high. “It’s definitely a record for me,” laughed the 6’8” guard/forward after the game. “I’ve never hit that many three’s in my life. Early on, I felt like everything was going to miss, but then I hit that two-pointer at the end of the first half and felt pretty good. In the second half, I didn’t even think. I just caught the ball and put it towards the hoop and it was going in.” “Anytime I can contribute to this team, it’s fantastic, but to do it in a game that means so much is just awesome. As far as we were concerned, tonight was a playoff game. Everything about it was huge. To know that we were able to come out and respond, I’m just really proud of every guy on this team right now.” Haviland was one of five UCFV players to reach double-digits. Second-year guard Doug Plumb (Abbotsford, B.C.) had 19 points, while Tristan Smith (Gardena, Calif.), Anthony Lao (Vancouver, B.C.) and Darren Johnson (Prince George, B.C.) each chipped in 10 points. For Trinity Western, Luke Robinson (Ahousat, B.C.) had a game-high 31 points including six three-pointers of his own. Joe Vroom (Abbotsford, B.C.) and Jason Keegstra (Vernon, B.C.) added 10 points each. This game was tight from the opening tip-off as both teams knew a spot in the playoffs likely went to the winner. The Spartans led by one, 19-18, at the end of the first quarter. UCFV added 17 points in the second frame to take a 35-30 lead into halftime. Haviland exploded for five three-pointers in the third quarter to help spark a 32-point effort by the Cascades forcing Trinity Western to play catch-up the rest of the way. UCFV led by 15 after 30 minutes (67-52) and hung on for the 13-point victory (89-76). “Coming into the game, we wanted to get Joel some more looks at the perimeter and take advantage of his strength as a three-point shooter,” said UCFV head coach Barnaby Craddock. “The guys did a great job of executing that tonight and getting him the ball. Joel has the skill to make the shot, but the guys did a great job setting the screens and delivering the passes. I was happy with how the team got him those shots and obviously, Joel did a great job and knocked down eight three’s. It was well done.” The win gives the Cascades a 2-1 series win over Trinity Western this year and the all-important tie-breaker for the fourth and final playoff spot in Canada West’s Pacific division. The victory was the first road win for UCFV in 2007-08 and the program’s first since October 26, 2006 when the team defeated Thompson Rivers, 85-82, in Kamloops. UCFV battles Simon Fraser at 5 p.m. on Saturday night in Burnaby. The Clan are third in the Pacific division with a 7-7 record, two points ahead of the Cascades (6-7).

Lakehead comes back to defeat Laurier... reports from Mike Alyward at Lakehead and Mike Quigley at Laurier Lakehead Report: Wolves Battle By Hawks The Lakehead Thunderwolves men’s basketball team battle to a 70-67 win over the Laurier Golden Hawks Friday night in Waterloo, Ontario. The resurgent Wolves go to 6-5 in OUA action (11-10 overall) while the talented young Hawks’ record goes to 4-6 in OUA play (8-12 overall). The Wolves were again led by potential OUA West MVP candidate Kiraan Posey who continued his torrid offense with 36 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Warren Thomas continued his double-double ways with 18 points and 10 boards. Matt Verboom added 6 points and a block for the Wolves. Paul Popo-Ola was again a defensive factor off the bench for the Wolves in the game. The Hawks had a balanced attack led by Justin Golob with 17 points and 5 rebounds. Freshman sensation Kale Harrison recorded a double-double of 15 points and 10 boards to go along with 2 assists and a block. Trevor Csima (13 points, 8 boards) and Jesse MacDonald (12 points, 8 assists) were the other big guns for the Hawks. Laurier was up 3 after one, and six and the half but the Wolves battled back in the final two quarters to get the win. Lakehead shot 41.2% (28-68) from the field while Laurier hit 40% (26-65). Lakehead was frozen cold from three-point range (1-14) while the Hawks were hot at 11-24 (45.8%). Laurier however cooled off from the free throw line (4-12) while Lakehead was an efficient 13-16 (81.3%). Laurier out-rebounded Lakehead 41-39. Lakehead Head Coach Scott Morrison said the game was a tough one. "We battled hard against a very good and talented young Laurier team so we’re really happy to get out of here with the win as their young guys hit a lot of big shots and they are going to be a force in the future. Hopefully, we can get out of here with two wins and we’ll see how it goes tomorrow. ”The two teams battle again Saturday night in Waterloo. Laurier Report GOLDEN HAWKS LET WIN SLIP AWAY The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks hosted the Lakehead University Thunderwolves in the lone OUA West game played Friday night and, unfortunately, let a win slip through their hands. The loss for the Hawks drops their OUA record to 4-6 (8-11 overall) and breaks off a 4 game OUA winning streak. The loss was especially heartbreaking in that the Hawks led by as much as 10 early in the 3rd quarter and had fought back to lead by 3 with 4 minutes to go after giving up the lead in the 3rd. The final score favored the Thunderwolves 70-67. The Hawks hit the scoreboard first in the 1st quarter but Lakehead came back to go up 4-2 and then 6-5. A 5-0 Hawks run put them up 10-6 and they held on for a 12-9 lead at the end of the quarter. The teams traded baskets to open the 2nd quarter but neither could sustain a lengthy run as both teams battled hard on every possession and the lead changed hands several times. A pair of 3-pointers gave the Hawks a narrow 22-18 lead with 5 minutes remaining but the Thunderwolves tied the game back up with 2 minutes to go in the half. An 8-2 Hawk run to close out the 2nd quarter gave Laurier a 30-24 lead at halftime. However, the Hawks missed 3/4 chances at the foul line in the quarter to make them 2/6 for the 1st half - an omen of bad things to come. The Hawks also missed at least 4 open layups during the first 20 minutes so their lead could have been even greater. A 6 point lead against a team with the firepower of the Thunderwolves is not comfortable enough and the Hawks came out strong to open the 3rd quarter hitting 8 points on a driving layup followed by a pair of 3's. Lakehead countered with a pair of hoops in the paint during this time to stay close. Then a 13-2 Lakehead run gave them the lead for the first time since the early minutes. With 4 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter the Thunderwolves led 41-40. From that point on the lead changed hands on almost each score with neither team opening up more than a 3 point edge. The Hawks regained the lead near the end of the quarter and led 50-47 after 3. The 4th quarter saw more intense action as, again, the Thunderwolves came back to go up by 1, 51-50, but then the Hawks tied it back up with a foul shot . Each time the T-Wolves scored, the Hawks came back to tie it. The Hawks were first to score on back to back possessions when an open 3 gave them a 58-55 lead with 4 minutes remaining in the game. An 11-3 Lakehead run put the T-Wolves up 66-60 with less than 1 minute remaining. A pair of 3's in the final 30 seconds of the game got the Hawks to within 1 point, down 68-67 but they were forced to foul to stop the clock and Lakehead hit a pair to go up by 3. A final 3-point attempt to tie by the Hawks went off the rim and Lakehead won by a final score of 70-67. Despite shooting almost 46% from beyond the 3-point line (11/24), the Hawks only managed to go 4/12 from the foul line while the Thunderwolves were good on 13/16 (10/11 in the 2nd half) which makes a big difference in a 3 point ball game. The Thunderwolves were also able to dominate inside scoring 58 points in the paint compared to Laurier’s 28. The Golden Hawks showed a very balanced attack with 4 players hitting double figures in scoring. They were led by the outside shooting of Justin Golob (2nd yr, post, St. Catherine’s, ON) who hit for 17 points, including 5/10 for 3's. Their outstanding freshman wing, Kale Harrison (Stratford, ON), added another double-double (his 4th in a row) with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Veteran Trevor Csima (5th yr, post, Oakville, ON) battled Lakehead’s larger posts and finished with 13 points and 8 boards. Point guard Jesse MacDonald (3rd yr, Brantford, ON) added 12 points and 8 assists. Andrew Pennycook (2nd yr, post, Toronto, ON), battling foul trouble throughout the game, had 5 assists, 5 blocked shots and 5 fouls. The Thunderwolves were led by Kiraan Posey (4th yr, F, Baltimore, MD) who had a game high 36 points and 10 rebounds. Warren Thomas (5th yr, F/C, Washington, DC) added 18 points and also had 10 boards. The 2 teams will battle again tomorrow (Saturday) night at the WLU AC. Tipoff is at 8:00 pm.