Underdog Bishop’s stuns top-seeded Victoria to reach national final
March 7, 2026

Underdog Bishop’s stuns top-seeded Victoria to reach national final

Recap Recap Box Score
The Bishop’s Gaiters continued their remarkable postseason run Saturday night, upsetting the top-seeded Victoria Vikes 66-65 in the second semifinal of the 2026 U SPORTS Men’s Final 8, presented by Student Housing Calgary, at Jack Simpson Gym.
 
With the victory, Bishop’s improves to 25-4 overall (13-3 RSEQ) and advances to the national championship game for only the second time in program history. The last time the Lennoxville, Que., school reached the final was in 1998 — when it raised the W.P. McGee Trophy for the only time in program history.
 
Victoria, which entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed, falls to 26-4 (17-3 Canada West).
 
Despite the underdog narrative, Bishop’s showed poise throughout a tightly contested game that featured three ties and seven lead changes and strong defensive play from both sides.
 
Victoria jumped out to a 20-16 lead after the first quarter and maintained a narrow edge for much of the opening half, taking a 34-35 advantage into the break. But Bishop’s seized momentum in the third quarter, outscoring the Vikes 24-16 to carry a 59-50 lead into the final frame.
 
The Vikes mounted a late push and took the lead midway through the fourth, before Bishop’s restored their slim one-point lead into the last minute. The Vikes had the ball with five seconds to go, but Bishop’s held firm to secure the historic win.
 
Charles Robert led the Gaiters offensively with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Zach John added 14 points. Yanis Malanda contributed eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds as Bishop’s dominated the glass 48-43.
 
Tiernan MacDougall, named Bishop’s player of the game, finished with seven points, five rebounds and two assists while helping anchor the defensive effort.
 
Renoldo Robinson earned player-of-the-game honours for Victoria with 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
 
Victoria will face the TMU Bold in Sunday’s bronze-medal game, starting at 1 p.m. local time (3 p.m. Eastern).
 
The Gaiters will now look to capture their second national championship when they face 17-time champions Carleton in Sunday’s title game, set for 5 p.m. Mountain (7 p.m. Eastern).
 
NIKE TEAM PLAYERS OF THE GAME
  • Victoria: Renold Robinson
  • Bishop’s: Tiernan MacDougall