KAMLOOPS – They held the lead for 33 minutes and scored a season-high 87 points but the Thompson Rivers WolfPack men's basketball team couldn't hold off a furious comeback charge from the UVic Vikes in a 94-87 loss inside the Tournament Capital Centre.
Asher Mayan was on fire for the WolfPack scoring a career-high with 33 points, 17 of which came in the first quarter. Mayan's 33-point effort ties him for the eighth highest scoring game in program history.
Brendan Sullivan completed the dynamic duo for the WolfPack with 29 points on the night while shooting 52 per cent from the field.
TRU led by as many as 18 points and dominated much of the game but in the end an undermanned WolfPack squad missing some key players due to injury was unable to overcome being outrebounded 48-30 in the game.
Depth in scoring was key for the Vikes on the night with Aaron Tesfagiorgis, Matthew Ellis and Scott Kellum all scoring 15 points while Dominick Oliveri and Diego Maffia added 13.
The first quarter belonged to Mayan. The second year from Langley went 6-7 from the floor and 4-5 from three-point land to score a ridiculous 17 points in the frame as the WolfPack jumped out to a 26-14 victory.
TRU continued to shoot the lights out in the second quarter. Sullivan had 14 points and
Daniel Bost knocked down a pair of three pointers while the WolfPack also held the Vikes offence in check to push their lead to as many as 18 at the half with a 52-34 lead.
The Vikes attack started to look better in the third as the visitors began to claw their way back into the game. A Tesfagiorgis jumper with 4:40 left in the third quarter capped off a 19-7 UVic run that cut the WolfPack lead to 59-53. The teams traded buckets for the rest of the frame to see the WolfPack holding onto a 70-62 lead entering the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter was all Vikes. UVic scored 32 points in the final ten minutes to snatch victory away from the 'Pack. A 17-8 UVic run to start the fourth quarter sent the Vikes to their first lead of the game since early in the first quarter after a Maffia free throw game them a 79-78 advantage. TRU made a couple three pointers late but the momentum was fully with UVic as they snagged the seven point victory.
Next up for the WolfPack is their final home game of the season when they host the Trinity Western Spartans on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 5 p.m. inside the TCC.
