VICTORIA - With an 86-81 victory, the Calgary Dinos put the UVic Vikes men's basketball team's homecourt playoff hopes on the brink of extinction while earning a big-time win of their own.

BOX SCORE
 
All five Calgary starters realized double figures in a game that ended with a wild fourth quarter shootout. The lead changed hands four times in the final frame, as the two sides continued to match each other for big baskets to the tune of a combined 57 points. But Calgary would win this one at the line with the Vikes forced to foul, and finding themselves unable to makeup for their third quarter letdown.
 
The Vikes not so much squandered a 38-31 halftime lead as Calgary's Robbie Sihota caught fire. Sihota accounted for nearly half of Calgary's 26-point third quarter output by knocking down four threes, and would finish with a game high 24 points. He received plenty of support from Tyler Fidler and Ross Bekkering, who netted 17 and 16 respectively.

Henry Bekkering posted 13 points for Calgary, while Jamie McLeod had his best offensive performance of the year with 11 points.
 
The Vikes were led by a 22-point effort from Mitch Gudgeon, who shot 10-16 and picked up seven rebounds. Tyler Hass netted 18 before fouling out late in the fourth, and Wendell Thomas realized a new career scoring high with 16 points. Thomas' inspired play in the post helped contain Dinos dunk-machine Henry Bekkering's penchant for the spectacular to the pregame warm-ups. 
 
In order to host a playoff series at McKinnon Gym, the Vikes will need to win out and hope Trinity Western drops one of their final two regular season games on the road. The Vikes received some help tonight from Simon Fraser who ended the Spartans 12-game winning streak with an upset in Langley.
 
The Dinos (16-3), who have long since clinched the Central Division title, face the UBC Thunderbirds (18-2) Saturday night in Vancouver in a clash of the titans in Canada West. Calgary last faced UBC in the 2008 conference semi-final in the Jack Simpson Gym, where the 'Birds ended the Dinos' chances of qualifying for the national championship. UBC clinched the Pacific Division pennant Friday with a dominating win over Lethbridge.

Calgary ends the regular season with a trip north to face the Alberta Golden Bears in Edmonton next weekend.
 
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