Fending off adversity and playing in front of thousands of passionate fans 鈥� two things that the University of Victoria Vikes men's basketball team and country star Jelly Roll have in common.
That鈥檚 not the only connection between the two. Before the Vikes began their pursuit of a ninth national championship 鈥� and their first since 1996-97 鈥� against the Bishop's Gaiters, they were paid a visit by Jelly Roll.
Third-year forward Shadynn Smid, hailing from Duncan, said the visit from Jelly Roll provided great inspiration from an unexpected source.
"He was such a great guy. He individually introduced himself in such a respectful way, and we really connected with him as a group," Smid said. "At the end, he gave us a great speech about his life challenges and how he came out the other side."
Adversity is exactly what the Vikes faced on Thursday morning, with the RSEQ champion Gaiters coming out of the gate poised to continue their Cinderella run.
Bishop's opened the game on a tear, grabbing a commanding 14-point lead with an 18-4 run.
Vikes' bench boss Murphy Burnatowski said the team has found themselves in similar situations all season long, which helped them remain calm.
"Our team is kind of used to this now. I wish we weren't as used to it, but we don't tend to have good starts to the game," Burnatowski said. "So I think that being in this position before helped us not to panic."
Fourth-seed Victoria punched their ticket to the Final 8 with a 97-85 victory over the University of Manitoba Bisons in the Canada West bronze medal game on March 7.
Victoria was able to combat Bishop鈥檚 hot start behind Ethan Boag, a 2020 Claremont Secondary School graduate. The fourth-year forward contributed six points in the opening quarter.
Despite the slow start in the opening 10 minutes and shooting just 35 per cent from the line, the Vikes went into the second quarter trailing by six, 22-16.
The Vikes forced their way back into the contest in quarter two, as a 32-17 run of their own gave them their first lead of the game, with Renoldo Robinson pacing the charge with 10 points.
While the first quarter left the Vikes struggling to find their shot, their accuracy became a major difference-maker in their resurgence. They fired at a staggering 75 per cent rate in the second, to take a 10-point lead into halftime.
As they have relied on all season, a balanced attack was at the forefront. Canada West Defensive Player of the Year Sam Maillet, guard Geoffrey James, and Robinson all secured double digits in the opening 20 minutes.
Heading into the half, Victoria focused on dictating the pace of play 鈥� and focusing on the defensive side of the ball, a strategy that has served them well all season long.
"It usually starts on the defensive end for us, when we are able to get into our rhythm in our own end, then we kind of just take a deep breath and relax," Burnatowski said.
The halftime adjustments paid off for Victoria, as their defensive prowess was evident in the second half of the contest.
Down the stretch, a pair of clutch shots from fifth-year guard, Aaron Tesfagiorgis gave the Vikes some breathing room.
Victoria weathered the storm and secured an 85-73 victory over Bishop鈥檚.
Maillet posted a team-high 18 points, grabbing six rebounds and two assists to lead Victoria.
"He's a guy that's been here. This is his fourth year at nationals. He already has a silver medal and a fourth-place finish, so he's kind of been everywhere in between, he's just always locked in."
But an all-around game from Smid earned him Player of the Game honours for Victoria, scoring 14 points, recovering four rebounds, and adding one assist.
"I came out with confidence today," Smid said. "Murphy鈥檚 always been on me about being confident, and I just came out ready, and the team lifted me up every time."
On the other side, All-Canadian forward Charles Robert was a force to be reckoned with for Bishop鈥檚, posting a game-high 20 points.
Victoria鈥檚 opponent for their national semifinal matchup will be the winner of the top-ranked University of Ottawa Gee-Gees and the Concordia Stingers, who face off later Thursday afternoon.
"Whoever we play, it鈥檚 going to be a war, and at this point in the season, we know it鈥檚 going to be tough," Burnatowski said.
The semifinal matchup will take place on Friday at 6 p.m. at Thunderbird Arena.
