Halifax, NS- The University of Ottawa Gee-Gees wins bronze at the U SPORTS men’s basketball Final 8 on Sunday at the Scotiabank Centre with a 78-58 victory over the University of Victoria Vikes.

Gee-Gees head coach James Derouin said in the first half, it felt like there was a lid on the rim, similar to the tough loss against the Carleton University Ravens, where shots were also not falling.

“The guys were frustrated,” said Derouin.

The Gee-Gees outscored the Vikes by 13 points in the second half and shot 5-9 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter.

“Not a lot of people get to play in these games, so we got to seize the opportunity,” said Kevin Otoo, who led the Gee-Gees in scoring with 20 points.  He also spoke about how he is an energy player. “You can lean on me; I got you, no matter what.”

It was Guillaume Pepin’s final game with the team, ranked as the Gee-Gees’ seventh all-time leading scorer.

“This guy is a winner, and he wants to win; I’m 100 per cent behind him,” said Otoo about Pepin. “You’re one of my bros for life. I don’t really say that a lot, but you’re my bro for life, and I love you, bro. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you.”

After a tough loss to the Ravens on Saturday, the Gee-Gees will look for more than bronze medals next season.

“You’re going to see us again, and we’re not going to be in third place, we’re going to be in first place,” said Otoo.

The Vikes finish the season as the fourth-placed team in the nation.

“We accomplished a lot of goals this year. We like where the program is and where it’s moving right now,” said Vikes head coach Craig Beaucamp.

Diego Maffia will be heading into his fourth year next season. The nation’s regular season points per game leader had 20 points in the loss. The guard is 15th in UVIC all-time scoring with just 58 games played.

“It took five guys to hold down Diego today,” said Derouin.