VANCOUVER - Matthew Ellis put up a career high 39 points and 15 rebounds to lead the University of Victoria Vikes to an 82-73 victory over the UBC Thunderbirds in game one of a home-and-home Legends Cup rivalry series at War Memorial Gym.
 
Ellis was lights out from the midrange - shooting 17 for 24 from the field and 2 for 2 from beyond the arc. The fourth-year Calgary product also got it done from the free throw line down the stretch, as the 'Birds pulled to within one with just over two minutes remaining but were unable to overtake the visiting Vikes.


 
Hayden Lejeune added 12 points and four boards for Victoria, while Jason Scully put up 11 points with seven rebounds and three assists in the victory.
 
"I think for the most part we played pretty well defensively," said UVic head coach Craig Beaucamp after his team improved to 10-3 on the season. "That's the factor that's given us a chance most nights and we held a good offensive team to 73 points, so that's the side we have to play well on.
 
"[Ellis] was obviously very good in the first half," continued Beaucamp, after his 6 foot 7 forward scored 18 points in the opening quarter. "He just had one of those moments when he wasn't missing anything and was playing with a lot of confidence."
 
Jadon Cohee had a team-high 19 points and four assists for UBC and added five rebounds in the loss. Grant Shephard had 16 points with five boards and Manroop Clair added 13 points in the loss.
 

 MBB | At halftime, @uvicvikes are up 42-31 over @ubctbirds in this Legends Cup battle at War Memorial Gym. #GoBirdsGo pic.twitter.com/gUYAfLWH8W

— UBC Thunderbirds / @UBCTBirds (@ubctbirds) January 17, 2020

 
The visiting Vikes stormed out to a 28-17 lead after the first quarter as Ellis went 9 for 11 from the field in eight and a half minutes of play. Taylor Browne cut the deficit to six with a triple at 28-22 in the second quarter, but Victoria responded with a 10-0 run punctuated by another Ellis jumper. The two teams traded turnovers before a brief 6-0 run by the 'Birds made it 38-28 and Cohee hit a three to go into the half down 42-31.
 
Grant Audu drained his first bucket from beyond the arc early in the third quarter and Shephard put in his second basket of the quarter to make it a five point game at 47-42. The Vikes started to feed Lejeune in the paint as the forward scored back-to-back buckets to widen the lead, but was taken out of the game after collecting his third foul. UBC began to string together stops on the defensive end and Clair made it a two-point game at 51-49. Diego Maffia came right back with a smooth step-back three and Scott Kellum pulled up with a mid-range jumper at the buzzer to send the Vikes into the  fourth quarter with a 57-51 edge.


 
Jonah Morrison asserted himself early in the final frame with a pair of tough finishes at the rim and locked down on defence to help bring his team within one at 59-58. Ellis knocked down a three and added two more field goals to make it 70-64 Victoria with 1:08 remaining. Cohee responded with a pair of free throws, but Kellum drained a tough step-back triple to give the visitors a seven-point cushion at 73-66. Cohee then got called for an unsportsmanlike foul as the teams headed to their respective benches for a timeout, and Ellis scored both free throws to put the game out of reach.
 
The two B.C. rivals will now travel to the provincial capital to close out their rivalry series on Saturday, January 18, at 7:00 p.m. PT in Victoria.