LIONS ROUGH UP 'RIDERS ON SATURDAY NIGHT

VANCOUVER - It wasn't pretty but the BC Lions finished off a win Saturday night.

Two weeks ago, the Lions squandered three chances from the one-yard line and lost to the Montreal Alouettes.

But with a chance to creep back in the CFL West playoff race, quarterback Buck Pierce threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes as the Lions ground out a 28-23 victory over league-leading Saskatchewn Roughriders.

"It was a gritty, gritty tough win," said Pierce, who had a pedestrian 18 completions in 33 attempts for 336 yards - but that included a 77-yard bomb to Geroy Simon for what proved to be the winning points.

"We've always been a team like that. To come out on top when we played our hearts out ... everybody in this locker room's dead tired.

"We left everything out there and it's very satisfying when you get a win like that."

Simon's catch gave the Lions a 28-16 advantage as he got behind defensive back Omarr Morgan.

"We knew we were going to win the game and we had faith that if we just keep playing hard, somebody's going to make a big play to win the game," said Simon who led all receivers with 142 yards on seven catches.

Paris Jackson, who leaped in the end zone for a 43-yard Pierce aerial, also passed the century mark with 126 receiving yards on six catches.

Both scores were needed as the Roughriders twice closed to within five points and had the ball with one minute 17 seconds remaining before defensive end Cameron Wake forced a fumble by quarterback Michael Bishop that was recovered by Brent Johnson.

The Lions improved to 6-5 with their second straight win and kept pace with the Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders who have 14 points, two back of the division-leading Riders.

Saskatchewan dropped to 8-3 with a third straight loss to a division foe. The two clubs play again this week in Regina.

"We just didn't play well enough offensively, defensively or in (special teams) to win the game here tonight," said Saskatchewan coach Ken Miller. "We're a much better football team than we showed here tonight."

Wake added two more sacks for a league-leading total of 15.

"I think it was a statement game for the whole team," said Wake who was in Bishop's face most of the night.

"That's what we do," said Wake who is one sack shy of his 2007 total when he was named CFL defensive player and rookie of the year. "We have the best front four in the league and we want to show what we got."

What they got was six sacks, including two by Aaron Hunt.

Diminutive running back Charles Roberts made his BC debut and scored the game's first touchdown, an 18-yard scamper where he had to stretch his entire five-foot-six frame to reach the goal line.

"I was a little rusty, I thought, but the more I get to practise with them, the more things they teach me about the offence, I should be a whole lot better," said Roberts who had nine carries for 56 yards and became the fifth player to reach 10,000 career rushing yards.

He was often on the field with pint-sized Stefan Logan, mostly on kick returns where Logan had 188 yards. They once both lined up at wide receiver.

Wes Cates, who led all rushers with 122 yards, scored Saskatchewan's final touchdown on a one-yard plunge.

Adam Nicolson made three catches in the drive that resulted in his first CFL touchdown, capping the march with a five-yard reception from Bishop, who said a slow start hurt his club.

"We've got to start fast and keep it going," said Bishop, who had 298 passing yards with 16 completions on 29 attempts in his first loss in three games since being obtained from Toronto.

"There was no doubt about it, we could have come back. Once we got together and we started moving the ball, our whole attitude changed. We knew we had a chance to win, but we just came up short."

Kickers accounted for the rest of the points as Luca Congi had three field goals for Saskatchewan and Paul McCallum added two more and a single for the Lions.

Simon also reached a milestone with his catch that tied him at 65 with Jim Young for the club record for career touchdown receptions.

Notes: Saskatchewan linebacker Brandon Lynch suffered a broken right leg on kick coverage on the first play of the game. He's the sixth Rider to suffer a leg fracture this season. ... Roberts wore his familiar No. 1 after receiver Kahlil Hill surrendered the number earlier in the week. ... The last time Bishop quarterbacked in Vancouver he was a Toronto Argonaut and on the wrong end of a 40-7 score.