Ahead With a Century
VIU tops 100 points twice in weekend wins over the Falcons
VANCOUVER - The Mariners improved their record to 9-0 while scoring more than 100 points in weekend road victories over the Langara Falcons.
Friday, January 14: VIU 101, Langara 77
A tight game at the half was blown open by the Mariners with a 28-10 advantage in the third quarter. Six Mariners got on the scoreboard in the quarter while Langara only shot 15% from the field, setting the stage towards VIU's 24-point victory.
Five Mariners scored in double figures: Akoi Yuot (22), Cameron Gay (20), Richard Henderson and Tori Odom (17 each), and Kai Leighton (10). Yuot led the rebounding stats with 8--all of the defensive side of the ball.
VIU shot 51.9% (40% for three) compared to 36.5% for Langara. The Mariners out-rebounded the Falcons 39-35.
First-year guard Nick Chan led the Falcons in scoring with 16 points--ten of those in the second quarter.
Saturday, January 15: VIU 106, Langara 85
In Saturday's rematch, the Mariners came out flying with a 29-13 first quarter--led by 13 points from Cameron Gay--and battled a game Falcons squad the rest of the way to lock down the win.
A big difference in that first quarter was three-point shooting, as the Mariners capitalized on six of ten attempts while the Falcons went one-for-six. That trend continued throughout the game, and the Mariners ended up with a higher three-point percentage (46.2%) than field goal percentage (44.8%).
Fourth-year guard Richard Henderson had a massive second half for the Mariners, scoring 26 of his game-high 33 points and grabbing eight of his 14 rebounds after the break on the way to a double-double.
For the Falcons, third-year guard Royce Sargaent led the team with 19 points while Nick Chan matched his 16 points from the previous game.
These victories finish off a three-game season sweep of the Falcons, as the Mariners also earned a 105-84 win in VIU's home opener back in November. The undefeated Mariners are in sole possesion of top spot in the conference while the Falcons fall to 6-5.
Up Next
The Mariners return to the road to face the Capilano Blues in North Vancouver, Saturday, January 22. Tip-off is at 3 PM and be watched live at PACWEST.LIVE. As a reminder, there are currently no spectators permitted at PACWEST games.