Men's Weekend Recap: Turn the Key

Fireworks are on the horizon in Nanaimo. Two of the top offensive teams clashed head-to-head in the first week of the semester.

Friday - VIU 106, CBC 58

It's been a while since the left side of the scoreboard went to triple digits, but new and old faces of the guard rotation helped to get it done.

An early layup from conference assist leader D'Andre Palmer-Ormsby put the Bearcats up 4-3, but a pair of Keyonte Beals layups ensured that CBC would never lead again. VIU's high-powered offense made quick work of CBC's porous defense as the Mariners cruised to an easy victory.

Keyonte Beals led the way for VIU with a game-high 26 points in his first PACWEST start. Five other Mariners reached double digits, including Winston Cole with 19 and Rylan Adams with a career-high 13 points.

It was business as usual for CBC's Dane-Dre Anglin, who scored 21 points, but his efficiency took a noticeable dip. The only other Bearcat to crack double digits was D'Andre Palmer-Ormsby, who scored 14.

Saturday - VIU 105, CBC 59

Imagine Friday's game, but again.

A 31-17 lead after the first quarter would've been a large enough cushion for most teams, but the Mariners aren't the kind of team that coasts to wins.

They go scorched earth.

Every quarter saw someone contribute in a big way for VIU. In the first quarter, it was Keyonte Beals with 11 of his game-high 31 points. In the second, Kaleb Wilson pulled down five rebounds while Beals chipped in seven more points. The third quarter was all Ekman Sohal: He matched CBC's entire lineup point-for-point that quarter, scoring 14 points while adding six rebounds en route to a 25-12 double-double. Finally, Rylan Adams came alive in the fourth, scoring all ten of his points off the bench to secure the victory. Add Ryan Bastian racking up 12 assists, and this is a team that could make noise when March rolls around.

CBC's big three struggled mightily. Dane-Dre Anglin and D'Andre Palmer-Ormsby tied for the team lead with 15 points, but Anglin fouled out early in the fourth quarter. The next closest Bearcat was Mathias Rodriguez with six.

With an early bye ahead of them, the Mariners set their sights on Langara's matchup with Camosun before taking on the Falcons a week later.