Riders defeat Lions, will face Bombers in West final

In their first playoff game at home since 2021, the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the B.C. Lions 28-19 on Saturday in the West Division semifinal.

The Riders will now travel to Winnipeg to take on the first-place Blue Bombers in the West Division final on Nov. 9. The winner of that game advances to the Grey Cup on Nov. 17 in Vancouver.

Holding a 20-19 lead in the fourth quarter, the Riders made it a nine-point game when Jerreth Sterns grabbed a 13-yard scoring pass from Trevor Harris with 3:30 gone in the frame. A two-point convert, with Harris connecting with KeeSean Johnson, made the score 28-19 for Saskatchewan.

The Riders sealed the victory with interceptions on consecutive B.C. possessions. Safety Nelson Lokombo grabbed his first CFL interception with four minutes remaining and defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. slammed the door with a pick in the Saskatchewan end zone with 47 seconds left in the game.

A 17-yard field goal by Sean White one minute into the fourth quarter had cut the Riders lead to 20-19.

Whyte narrowed the Saskatchewan lead to 20-16 with a 36-yard field goal with 5:38 left in the third quarter. He had a chance to cut the lead further minutes later but his 38-yard attempt hit the right upright for a miss.