Vikes conquer host Dinos to reach Final 8

The Victoria Vikes used a dominant middle stretch to defeat the host Calgary Dinos, 100–86, in the third quarterfinal of the 2026 U SPORTS Men's Final 8, presented by Student Housing Calgary, Friday night at Jack Simpson Gym.

Top-seeded Victoria (26-3, 17-3 CW) built momentum early before breaking the game open after halftime to advance to Saturday’s national semifinal at 7 p.m. (Mountain Time). Calgary (17-16, 12-8 CW) moves to the consolation bracket and will play Saturday afternoon.

The teams traded early baskets in the opening quarter before the Vikes seized control behind their perimeter shooting. Victoria led 26–20 after the first period and extended the advantage to 57–33 by halftime, outscoring Calgary 31–13 in the second quarter.

Victoria continued to pour it on in the third. The Vikes shot efficiently from beyond the arc and moved the ball effectively, stretching the lead to as many as 35 points midway through the quarter while building an 86–64 advantage heading into the final frame.

Player of the game Geoffrey James led the Victoria offence with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including four three-pointers. Shadynn Smid added 16 points while Cameron Slaymaker contributed 12 points and four assists as the Vikes finished the night shooting 52 per cent from three-point range and recording 23 assists on 33 made field goals.

Despite the deficit, Calgary battled in front of the home crowd and trimmed the margin in the fourth quarter. Player of the game Eli Djordjevic paced the Dinos with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while Mrigendra Dhaliwal added 17 points and Dre Francis recorded 15 points and nine rebounds.

NIKE TEAM PLAYERS OF THE GAME

• Calgary: Eli Djordjevic
• Victoria: Geoffrey James.