Tiger-Cats upend mistake-prone Lions

The B.C. Lions had a third straight win well within their grasp before letting it slip away.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats took advantage of five B.C. turnovers in the fourth quarter, erasing a 12-point deficit before putting the finishing touches on a 35-31 victory over the Lions on Saturday night at Empire Field in Vancouver.

Hamilton receiver Chris Bauman scored the game-winning touchdown on a 26-yard reception with 2:31 remaining in the contest.

"We run that play all day and I was always open," Bauman said after his first touchdown in two seasons and fourth of his four-year career.

"We were just waiting for it. I guess it was the right moment."

Cornerback Dante Marsh tried for the interception but missed.

"He thought he had the pick, flew off my back and the rest is history," Bauman said of his first game-winning TD and his second reception of the game.

It was a cruel defeat for the Lions who were trying for their third victory after a 1-7 start.

Rookie running back Jerome Messam fumbled the ball in the rain and former Lion Markeith Knowlton recovered on the B.C. 26 yard line to give Hamilton a chance for the win.

Close to tears

Messam was disconsolate after the game. Close to tears, he stared into space while wiping his face with a towel as he sat alone.

"I don't even know," he said when asked what happend on the play. "I don't know, man."

Quarterback Kevin Glenn led the charge for the Tiger-Cats by throwing for 292 yards and three touchdowns against only one interception. DeAndra' Cobb was a monster on the ground, rushing 23 times for 151 yards.

"We were committed to running the ball," said Hamilton head coach Marcel Bellefeuille. "It didn't matter whether we won the football game, that's how much we were committed."

Kicker Sandro DeAngelis made all five of his field goals. Maurice Mann caught five balls for 113 yards and one TD, and Arland Bruce scored Hamilton's other touchdown.

The comeback victory, the first outside of the East Division this season for 6-5 Hamilton, moved the Ticats to within four points of division-leading Montreal (7-3). Hamilton has won five of its last six games.

B.C., meanwhile, drops to 3-8.

Lions quarterback Casey Printers spoiled a 312-yard, three-TD performance after his two interceptions led to 10 Hamilton points in the fourth quarter.

Receivers Paris Jackson (eight catches, 109 yards) and Steven Black (four catches, 91 yards) hauled in a touchdown each.

Defence shines

After Bauman's winning score, the Hamilton defence came up big again on B.C.'s next drive, forcing a Printers fumble after a sack. The turnover set up DeAngelis's 32-yard field goal with 1:13 left, giving the Ticats a four-point lead.

Another Printers turnover finally put an end to B.C.'s misery.

Things looked good for the Lions in the third quarter when Printers fired a pass to Jackson, who outleaped Markeith Knowlton in the end zone for a 28-16 lead late in the third quarter.

However, a pair of interceptions by Printers brought Hamilton back.

Lions head coach Wally Buono said the Lions didn't stay focused when the rain created a greater need to protect the ball.

"It's a case of us making mistakes at the wrong time and they capitalized on them," said Buono. "You never want to take away from the other team. They played hard and they made plays."

Knowlton gained a measure of revenge after he picked off Printers, leading to another DeAngelis field goal less than a minute into the fourth quarter.

Following Printers's second interception on the next drive by Geoff Tisdale, Mann took a short pass from Glenn and raced 51 yards for the touchdown, cutting B.C.'s advantage to 28-26.

The Ticats were fortunate that the initial, and correct, illegal block in the back call on the touchdown was reversed to allow the score.

While kicker Paul McCallum's third field goal then increased B.C.'s advantage to five points, the continued mistakes buried the Lions in the end.