Men's Weekend Recap: Levi's Homecoming

Levi Van Egdom, formerly CBC's top three-point option, returned to Abbotsford for the first time since transferring to VIU.

The Mariners thanked the Bearcats for their charitable donation the only way they know how.

 Kicking their teeth in on their home court.

Friday - VIU 106, CBC 67

The first quarter, much like the women's game just a few hours before, was tense. A three-point shot from Camden MacDougall forced VIU to call an early timeout, but after a quick pep talk from Matt Kuzminski, the Mariners offense kicked into overdrive.

After a 13-2 run to end the quarter, the Mariners never looked back. They hit the century mark for the second game in a row and cruised to a third straight victory, despite a pity basket for David Magak as time expired.

Though Levi put up a respectable 7-5-2 statline while adding three steals, he wasn't the only transfer to ball out. Ekman Sohal threw his hat into the PACWEST MVP wing, scoring a career-high 30(!) points while adding five rebounds, four steals, and a block.

Kye Kotapski-Tinga continues to shine in his second season with the Mariners, adding 21 more points to go with four rebounds and a steal.

How about another outstanding performance? Winston Cole looked stellar in his Mariners debut, scoring 19 points while swinging the rock six times.

The next highest scoring Mariner was Ty Cyr with eight, but that's understandable given Ekman's career night.

CBC, not one to be left out, added their own guard into the mix. Dane-Dre Anglin put another statement on his breakout season with the Bearcats, scoring 21 points, while D'Andre Palmer-Ormsby added 16 of his own.

Saturday - VIU 101, CBC 78

This game was more of the same.

Camden MacDougall leading the Bearcats to an early lead? Check.

VIU's offense tying the game almost immediately afterward? Check.

VIU hitting the century mark for the third game in a row? Check.

That being said, it wasn't a complete blowout. CBC only trailed by one at the half, and even held a lead over halfway through the third quarter, but an and-one layup from Ryan Bastian ensured that would be the last lead CBC held that day.

Scoring for VIU was a much more even affair this time. Seven of VIU's eight players, including their entire starting lineup, scored at least 10 points, with Kai Leighton leading the way with 20.

Markus Modrovic, clearly inspired by Kiayra Hohlweg's performance the game before, became the chairman of the boards, pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds.

The Bearcats also flexed their depth. Dane-Dre Anglin scored a modest 14 points, passing the baton to his new teammate, Daylen Webb, who tallied a game-high 22 points while adding 11 rebounds for good measure. Clive Adams and Camden MacDougall combined for 11 assists, while Lakeeb Hughes recorded three blocks.

The Mariners head home for the first time next week, taking on the Langara Falcons on November 1st and 2nd.

Women's Weekend Recap: Anarchy in Abbotsford

VIU and CBC, especially on the women's side, have a lot of recent history. Their fierce battle in last year's PACWEST gold match combined with more sinister off-court controversy has led to games between these two becoming must-watch TV.

Friday - VIU 55, CBC 47

This game was a textbook slugfest. Every made basket felt like a cannon shot in the hostile confines of Abbotsford.

In the beginning, Hyewon Hwang made her presence known, scoring six of CBC's 14 points and leaving VIU in a ten-point hole. The CBC crowd, cowbells and all, echoed throughout the walls.

However, a 14-3 run spearheaded by Kaia Simpson thrusted the Mariners back into the game as the Bearcats watched their lead crumble to two at the half.

Both teams remained even in the third quarter, but a buzzer-beating three from Allison Bentley put the Mariners up 43-34 with a quarter to play, a lead they would never relinquish.

Despite an early trio of free throws from Kendal Dueck, the Mariners pulled away to secure an extremely cathartic 55-47 win.

Through the first three games of the season, VIU's scoring has mostly been carried by one or two players, but the specific players rotate on a by-game basis. Tonight, it was Trista Thorn and Kaia Simpson's turn to pop off, with the two combining for 23 points and seven rebounds.

The star of the show for CBC was Kendal Dueck, who scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds, but committed four personal fouls.

Saturday - VIU 55, CBC 60

VIU's dream of an undefeated season has come to an early end.

Similar to last night, both teams played equally throughout the first three quarters, but CBC did just enough to keep the Mariners away. The Mariners, despite valiant efforts in the second and third quarters, didn't hold a lead past the first three minutes. With today's win, the Bearcats have now won games against every PACWEST team.

Four different Bearcats reached double figures, including the game's leading scorer, Julie Dueck, who scored 14 points and added 5 rebounds. Kagari Tomita and Hyewon Hwang combined for 21 more points, while AJ Sobotta added ten more off the bench.

Kiayra Hohlweg can take solace in an outstanding individual effort. She registered a 13-point, 14-rebound double-double, while Trista Thorn added 12 points of her own.

The Mariners will open their homestand next week, when they welcome the Langara Falcons to town.

Women's Weekend Recap: Mariners Begin Title Defense

PACWEST scores take time to update, so some stats may not reflect the actual game. Please keep that in mind. Corrections will be made if needed.

Friday - VIU 77, Okanagan 61

Many Mariners fans made the trek up to the interior to cheer on the ladies in black, and were treated to a surprisingly close affair between the toast of the conference and a Coyotes team eager to recapture their 2022 magic.

Mackenzie Cox and Allison Bentley tied for the team lead in points with thirteen, with the former also adding 6 rebounds. Kiayra Hohlweg also chipped in as a midrange threat, adding eleven points off the bench, while Sammy Shields earned a quartet of assists to go with nine points, a steal, and block.

The rest of VIU's lineup didn't contribute much in comparison. Rachel Labrador led all other Mariners in scoring with eight points, while Kaia Simpson and Aysia Kumar chipped in with six and five respectively.

Saturday - VIU 93, Okanagan 54

This one wasn't particularly close. The Mariners took a 15-3 lead halfway through the first quarter and never looked back.

Scoring was mostly a three-pronged effort for VIU. Sammy Shields, Annabelle Neufeld, and Aysia Kumar combined for forty-eight points, with Shields adding eight rebounds and Emily Sprott tacking on eight assists for good measure.

Despite a spectacular performance from Antonella Luraghi, who scored a game-high twenty-one points while pulling down eight rebounds, no other Coyote managed more than nine.

VIU has one more weekend before their home opener, heading down to Abbotsford next week for a long-awaited rematch with the defending national champion CBC Bearcats.

Men's Weekend Recap: Business As Usual In Penticton

Friday - VIU 112, Okanagan 72

I had doubts about the Mariners going into this game. They still lack a conventional big man for the time being, and Okanagan's post-heavy offense looked ready to pull off a miracle.

It's safe to say my fears were a touch overblown.

VIU opened their season just as they did the last, with a blowout victory over the conference's punchline.

The hero for the Mariners tonight was Kye Kotapski-Tinga. In only his second career start, the Comox native scored a game-high twenty-eight points and six assists. Two other Mariners, Kai Leighton and rookie Ty Cyr reached the twenty-point threshold, with fellow offseason acquisition Ekman Sohal coming just shy with nineteen while adding four rebounds, two assists, and VIU's lone steal.

This is not to say that Okanagan laid down to die; they fought valiantly in front of their home crowd. Noah Steingart and Phil Holmes combined for thirty-one points, while Ryan Dekleva dished the rock five times and Trevon Roots made an early case for Defensive Player of the Year with four boards and a block.

Okanagan's depth also showed promise, with all but two of their players recording at least two points. Unfortunately for the Coyotes, VIU had similar depth, with every player scoring at least four points.

Saturday - VIU 100, Okanagan 66

Don't call it a comeback.

Facing a nine-point deficit deep in the first quarter, things looked bleak for VIU. A raucous home crowd fueled the Coyotes as they made shot after shot and hounded the Mariners in the paint, but it was all VIU in the latter three, as Okanagan couldn't stop VIU's constant perimeter assault.

Ekman Sohal was the star of the show, scoring a game-high twenty-two points on 100% shooting while hitting four of his six free throws, grabbing 6 rebounds, and adding an assist and a block. Kai Leighton recorded a game-high six assists, tying with Coyotes point guard Ryan Dekleva in that category.

The Coyotes once again showed that they're not a team to be taken lightly, especially in the interior. Trevon Roots strengthened his DPOY bid with nine rebounds and three blocks, while Ryan Dekleva, Inder Deol, and Noah Steingart combined for fourty-seven of Okanagan's points.

The Mariners head back down the Coquihalla next week to take on the CBC Bearcats in Levi Van Egdom's return to Abbotsford.