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Credit Rich Lam
Credit Rich Lam
March 14, 2025

Vikes upset Ottawa to advance to first championship game since 2006

Sam Maillet's double-double led the No. 4-seeded Victoria Vikes to an 89-75 win over the top-seeded Ottawa Gee-Gees in the first semifinal of the 2025 INDOCHINO U SPORTS Men's Final 8 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver, Friday. The Moncton product, who was named the U SPORTS defensive player of the year on Wednesday, had 13 points and 10 rebounds as the Vikes advanced to the national championship game for the first time since 2006.
 
The Vikes established their dominance quickly, with a 17-1 run in the first period keying them to a 23-10 lead after 10 minutes, and they were up 48-37 at the half. The Vikes shot 48 per cent from the field, to Ottawa's 36.5, and were 17-for-18 from the free-throw line.
 
Geoffrey James came off the bench to lead the Vikes with 21 points, with Shadynn Smid adding 18. For Ottawa, Jacques-Melanie Guemata led all scorers with 24 points, while Brock Newton had 14 and Ankit Choudhary had 13.
 
With the loss, Ottawa will look to win their third straight U SPORTS bronze medals, following wins over Dalhousie in 2024 and Victoria in 2023. They will take on either Calgary or UPEI on Sunday at 10 a.m. Pacific time in the War Memorial Gym.
The Vikes, who went undefeated and were ranked No. 1 throughout the regular season, will head to Sunday's gold medal game, where they will seek their ninth national championship, but their first since 1997. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. (Pacific) and the game will be carried on CBC and Sportsnet in English and TVA Sports in French.
 
 
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