CIS Hoops.ca

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UBC 91, Saskatchewan 60   6'9" fourth-year forward Balraj Bains was the catalyst in a 22-4 run ending the first half as the T-Birds comfortably defeated the Huskies in an eagerly-anticipated CIS national championship rematch in Vancouver last night.  With the score tied at 22 late in the first quarter and the Huskies getting 18 of their points in and around the paint, UBC Head Coach Kevin Hansen inserted Bains into the lineup and his presence defensively was the difference as the Birds dominated from there for the decisive win.  6'2" Josh Whyte had 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Bains started his T-Birds career as a redshirt in his first year, barely got off the bench as a freshman but kept working hard, moving up the rotation and is the type of player every winning program needs not only as a direct contributor on the floor but as a symbol of perseverance and hard work.

UBC Release with quotes from Coach Hansen on Bains and others  plus Box Score

Also, our good friends at the CIS Blog had a live blog  following last night's game.


Victoria 68, Calgary 58   ...Vikes Rebounding Too Much for Dinos (from Wayne Thomas of DinosHoopsNews)   The rebounding told the story of the game, as the Victoria Vikes aggressive play on the boards earned them a huge 49-24 margin, propelling the home team to a 68-58 season opening win over the Calgary Dinos. Time and again, the Vikes retrieved their own missed shots and had 2 or 3 chances to score, and despite only cashing in 35% of their field goal tries, Victoria had the game under control for most of the 2nd half.  Calgary fought gamely in trailing only 33-31 at the break, and the Dinos got some impressive moments from 3 younger players ... 2nd year guard Andrew McGuinness displayed a scorer’s touch in tallying 19 points, and Matt Letkeman battled hard all night at the defensive end, and counted 6 pts., including 2 strong dunks. Phil Labongo scored only 4 points, but showed flashes of quickness, and nose for the hoop. Tyler Fidler netted 13 points and secured 10 boards, while McGuinness and Dustin Reding each had 3 assists for Calgary.  Victoria made it a team effort, with Jeff Cullen, their point guard hitting for 16 points, and delivering 4 assists, while Marco Dolcetti scored 13, including8/10 from the line, and had 7 rebounds. Pierce Anderson was Vic’s leading rebounder with 8, and he seemed to get his hand on many more loose balls.  Victoria shot 20/29 from the free throw line, whileCalgary was 12/18. The Dinos were 21/53 for 40% from the floor, with not much offense generated against an ‘in your face’ Vikes defensive effort. The teams play again Saturday ... this game will be at 8pm MDT, and can be followed on Vikes TV .

Also reports and video recap from UVic web site  and Box Score

Victoria Times-Colonist articles by Ron Rauch  New-look Vikes Princeton offense  plus Game reports from women's and men's games  including some rather-unflattering quotes from Vikes Head Coach Craig Beaucamp regarding his club.

Manitoba 108 Winnipeg 88   The Bisons outscored the Wesmen 61-34 in the second and third quarters to claim the win at home  Box Score and Game Report plus Eric Garcia article in Winnipeg Free Press   plus Bisons video season preview


Brandon 77 TRU 75  6'3" Donovan Gayle's put-back at the buzzer gave the Bobcats a dramatic win at home.  Brandon also took advantage of foul trouble for 7'0" Greg Stewart to edge the WolfPack in a game pitting former coaching colleagues as Brandon's Gil Cheung defeated his former mentor Scott Clark.  Cheung had been an assistant at Simon Fraser during Clark's tenure in Burnaby.   TRU Blog

Trinity Western 116, Lethbridge 79  The Spartans jumped out to a 40-12 lead in the first quarter alone to route the Horns in Lethbridge.  6'8" Jacob Doerksen had 28 to lead the dominant TWU attack while 6'6" Tyrell Mara added 23.  Newcomer Kyle Coston added 18 points in just 18 minutes.  The teams meet again tonight.  Box Score