Gold Medal Rematch

#2 VIU Mariners vs. #3 Capilano Blues – Friday March 6, 3:00pm | WATCH HERE

The men’s semifinal side of the bracket opens on Friday afternoon when the Mariners (19-5) and Blues (16-8) meet in a gold medal rematch.

The defending champion Blues are coming off an exciting 90-71 quarterfinal win over the CBC Bearcats on Thursday.  It wasn’t an easy victory for the Blues, who were tested on both sides of the floor, which can only help them coming into this heavyweight fight with the Mariners.  They shot 43% during their victory led by Alfonso Reyes off the bench and his 27 points and 14 rebounds.

These two schools met four times during the regular campaign with the Mariners winning three times including a 33-point blowout in their last meeting at the end of January.  In their three wins the Mariners won by an average of 18 points, hitting the 100-point plateau once.  The Blues lone win was by 10 points in November.

The Mariners and their high-octane offence won two straight games coming into this post season and are averaging the highest point total in the Conference, averaging 93.5 points a game.   They have five players averaging over double digits and can beat teams in multiple ways.  If they can run and gun on Friday, it will be a long afternoon for the Blues.  On the defensive side they hold teams to 74 points a game with the Defensive Player of the Year in Kai Leighton. 

Friday’s winner will play for PACWEST gold on Saturday while the loser will play for bronze.  The Mariners have played in 16 straight gold medal games.