WATERLOO, ON: The UBC Thunderbirds left the PAC with the 57th Annual Don McCrae Naismith Classic title after going a perfect 3-0, edging the Dalhousie Tigers on point differential after both teams ran the table. With point differential capped at +20 per game under the tiebreak rules, UBC finished at +39 to Dalhousie's +27.

The biggest noise of the weekend came in the final game, though. The host Waterloo Warriors knocked off the #1 nationally ranked Victoria Vikes 77-74 in overtime on Saturday night to close out the event.

Six programs from three conferences made the trip, with Canada West, the AUS and the OUA all represented across nine games from October 15 to 17.

Final standings

UBC and Dalhousie did not meet during the event, so the title came down to point differential, capped at +20 per game. UBC's 35-point win over Waterloo counted as +20.

Day 1: Thursday, October 15

Victoria 84, McMaster 80

The tournament opened with a tight one. Ryan Gallagher came off the Victoria bench and gave McMaster fits, scoring 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 5-of-6 from deep. Victoria lived at the line, going 26-of-36 compared to McMaster's 15-of-21, with Cole Bekkering cashing 9 of 11 attempts on his way to 15 points. Shadynn Smid added a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double. Kailon Nicholls led the Marauders with 19 off the bench, and Riaz Saliu pulled down 14 rebounds.

UBC 96, Windsor 94

The best shootout of the weekend went UBC's way by a single possession. Nylan Roberts poured in 27 points and hit five threes, while Karan Aujla went 7-of-9 for 14 points and 8 rebounds. Windsor shot over 50 percent from the floor and a perfect 9-of-9 at the line, but couldn't quite get over the top. Yashar Greaves-Saddat scored 24 for the Lancers, and Luke Grace was a perfect 5-of-5 from the field with 13 points and 14 boards.

Dalhousie 84, Waterloo 73

The Tigers spoiled the home opener behind a balanced attack. Lydell Husbands-Browne scored 18 off the bench, Glen Cox added 17 and Riley Stewart chipped in 15. Dalhousie hit 10 of 22 from three while Waterloo went 6-of-28. Cristian Craciun (Ancaster, ONT/Bishop Tonnos), Isaiah McRae and Stefan Prica (Etobicoke, ONT/New Horizon) each scored 14 for the Warriors, and Marcus Wilson (Miramichi, NB/Moncton High School) added 11 off the bench, going 6-of-8 at the line. Elijah Idehen (Milton, ONT/Fort Erie International Academy) protected the rim with 3 blocks.

Day 2: Friday, October 16

Victoria 81, Windsor 72

The Vikes moved the ball beautifully, finishing with 21 assists and shooting 50.8 percent. Smid was the engine with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists on 9-of-14 shooting, and Bekkering was efficient again with 15 points on 6-of-7. Toren Franklin gave Victoria a lift off the bench, hitting 3 of 4 from deep. Greaves-Saddat (15), Grace (14) and Rodrigue Muntu (13) led Windsor.

Dalhousie 71, McMaster 64

The same Dalhousie duo did the damage again. Husbands-Browne scored 20 with 5 threes and 3 steals, and Cox added 19 points and 6 rebounds. McMaster stayed close, but a 9-of-18 night at the free throw line hurt. Elijah Bethune led the Marauders with 17, and Riley Bleich added 14 with four threes.

UBC 95, Waterloo 60

UBC's depth showed in a lopsided Friday night game. The Thunderbirds shot 51.4 percent, won the glass 41-31 and had five players score in double figures. Raj Dhadda led the way off the bench with 17 on five threes, Edouard Gauthier scored 15 on 7-of-10, and Roko Maric posted 12 points and 11 rebounds. Prica (14) and McRae (11 on 5-of-8) were bright spots for Waterloo, but 19 turnovers made it a tough night.

Day 3: Saturday, October 17

Dalhousie 81, Windsor 72

Dalhousie finished 3-0 by winning the hustle categories. The Tigers grabbed 15 offensive rebounds to Windsor's 9, and Glen Cox was a load inside with 19 points and 12 rebounds, six of them on the offensive glass. Ukiah Best added 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, and Jacob Christie knocked down three triples for 11. Windsor went just 6-of-16 at the line. Bronson Chambers led the Lancers with 15 and Andrew Cook (Sarnia, ON/) added 12 and 8.

UBC 104, McMaster 87

UBC clinched the title in style, cracking the century mark. Roberts did a bit of everything with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, and Gauthier scored 23 while going a perfect 7-of-7 from the line. The Thunderbirds forced 14 steals, hauled in 18 offensive rebounds and went 22-of-27 at the stripe. McMaster shot 50 percent and got 18 from Nicholls and 17 from Bethune, but couldn't keep pace.

Waterloo 77, Victoria 74 (OT)

The Warriors closed the event with the upset of the weekend. Full story below.

Tournament standouts

UBC's Nylan Roberts was the best scorer in the building, averaging 21.3 points across three wins. Dalhousie's Glen Cox was right behind him and gave the Tigers a nightly inside presence.

Honourable mentions go to Windsor's Yashar Greaves-Saddat and McMaster's Elijah Bethune (15.0 points per game each), and Windsor big Luke Grace, who pulled down 24 rebounds.

Warriors finish strong: Waterloo 77, #1 Victoria 74 (OT)

Twenty-four hours after a 35-point loss to UBC, the Warriors came back to the PAC and beat the top-ranked team in the country. Waterloo outlasted the #1 Victoria Vikes 77-74 in overtime to close the Classic in front of the home crowd.

The win was built on effort and toughness. Waterloo dominated the glass 43-30, grabbing 35 defensive rebounds to limit Victoria to one look on most trips. The Warriors also shot the ball far better than they had all weekend, hitting 49.2 percent from the field and 9 of 22 from three, while holding the Vikes to 42.4 percent and 6-of-22 from deep. That was enough to overcome 25 turnovers against a Victoria defence that came up with 16 steals.

Isaiah McRae led the way again with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, finishing as Waterloo's top scorer for the tournament. The breakout performance belonged to Ross Pockar (Calgary, ALB/Edge School). After playing 20 combined minutes in the first two games, Pockar logged 35 against Victoria and delivered 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, a perfect 2-of-2 from three, 9 rebounds and 3 steals.

Cristian Craciun (Ancaster, ONT/Bishop Tonnos) did the dirty work with a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double in 37 minutes. Moses Anvari (Ajax, ONT/Bill Crothers) played 39 minutes and added 10 points and 6 rebounds. Stefan Prica (Etobicoke, ONT/New Horizon) gave the Warriors a spark in a new bench role with 9 points and 7 rebounds, and Marcus Wilson (Miramichi, NB/Moncton High School) (8) and Isaac Kenney (Barrie, ONT/Maple Ridge Secondary School) (5) chipped in. Elijah Idehen (Milton, ONT/Fort Erie International Academy) made his nine minutes count with 3 steals.

Renoldo Robinson kept Victoria in it with 21 points, and Smid added 12 and 9, but the Vikes went just 12-of-21 at the line and could not match Waterloo on the boards.

The Warriors leave the Classic at 1-2, with a lot to build on. Playing three quality opponents in three days showed where the group needs to grow, and the Victoria game showed what it looks like when the pieces come together. It is a win this team can carry into OUA play.

Thank you to our sponsors

The Don McCrae Naismith Classic would not happen without the businesses that support Warriors Basketball. A huge thank you to this year's tournament sponsors for helping bring six of the country's top programs to Waterloo:

•             Hot Freight

•             See The Game

•             Modern Physiotherapy and Training

•             Sodium Fit Inc.

•             Charcoal Group