VICTORIA, B.C. — The UBCO Heat men's basketball team (1-2) dropped their first road game of the season on Friday night as they lost 103-71 to the U SPORTS No. 1-ranked Victoria Vikes (3-0).

Jalen Shirley led the offensive effort with 20 points, shooting 8-for-19 from the field, including two three-pointers. Lamine Conde contributed 14 points, converting four of seven attempts from beyond the arc and collecting six rebounds. Isaak Moore added 13 points and recorded three steals to bolster the defense. Mike Adarkwah-Nti scored seven points and dished out three assists while securing four rebounds.

Ryan Gallagher led Victoria with an efficient 20 points, shooting 9-for-9 from the field, including two 3-pointers. Shadynn Smid added 14 points, going 6-for-7 overall with a pair of 3-pointers. 

Victoria gained an early advantage with a strong start, establishing a 13-point lead by the midway mark in the first quarter. The Heat struggled with turnovers, committing six, which contributed to Victoria's ability to control the pace and generate points. Despite UBCO converting 47 percent of field goals, Victoria's superior ball movement led to ten assists, guiding them to a 28-18 lead at the end of 10 minutes.

Victoria took control in the second quarter, capitalizing on turnovers to extend their lead. Despite UBCO's effort, converting five 3-pointers and securing 11 rebounds, they struggled to contain Victoria's offence, which scored 16 points in the paint and went 13-for-21 from the field. The half ended with Victoria leading 60-37 over the Heat.

The Heat showed resilience in the second half despite Victoria's strong presence in the paint. Victoria scored 20 points in the paint, contributing to a 21-point frame. UBCO managed to keep pace by hitting two 3-pointers and capitalizing on free throws, narrowing the gap slightly. At the end of the quarter, Victoria led 79-56.

Victoria's dominance in the paint was evident as they outscored UBCO 16-4 in that area during the fourth quarter. Despite the Heat's effort to generate offence from the bench, Victoria's defensive prowess proved to be too much as was highlighted by their 16 total rebounds, which helped them close out the contest.

These two teams will rematch on Saturday, November 1 with tipoff set for 7 p.m. Fans can catch the game live on CanadaWest.tv presented by BioSteel.