B.C. Lions wide receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux catches a pass in the end zone for a touchdown against the Montreal Alouettes during second quarter CFL football action Thursday, August 4, 2016 in Montreal.Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press
Jeremiah Johnson, Emmanuel Arceneaux and defensive back Loucheiz Purifoy scored touchdowns as the B.C. Lions downed the Montreal Alouettes 38-18 on a steamy Thursday night at Percival Molson Stadium.
Richie Leone booted five field goals for B.C. (4-2), which rebounded from an overtime loss last week in Calgary. The Lions also forced a safety.
B.J. Cunningham and quarterback Kevin Glenn scored TDs for Montreal (2-4), while Boris Bede kicked a field goal.
A close game turned on the first play from scrimmage of the fourth quarter when Corbin Louks caught a six-yard pass from Glenn but fumbled to Purifoy, who ran it 47 yards for a TD to give B.C. a 30-18 lead.
Montreal had moved to within five points of the Lions at 13:14 of the third when Glenn started a drive with a 47-yard pass to Duran Carter and ended it with his own five-yard run up the middle for the TD. After the convert, B.C, conceded a single on Bede's 82-yard kickoff.
The Lions led 19-10 at the intermission despite a missed field goal by each side and two-point convert attempts missed on all three touchdowns in the first half.
Leone was good from 46 yards on B.C.'s first drive but Bede, who entered the game only 6-of-14 on placekicks, missed from 38 as Montreal marched back.
Jonathan Jennings answered with a drive capped by Johnson's four-yard TD run up the middle only for Glenn to lead a nine-play drive that saw Cunningham catch a 15-yard TD pass on the first play of the first quarter.
A Bear Woods interception gave Montreal the ball on the B.C. 26 but they managed only Bede's 17-yard field goal. The Lions drove back but Leone missed a 46-yard attempt for a single.
Jennings completed 7-of-8 passes on a drive capped by Arceneaux's nine-yard TD catch at 13:13.
Bede shanked a punt that went only 12 yards and, with two penalties, it gave B.C. the ball on the Montreal 12. The defence held, forcing Leone to kick a 12-yard field goal at 14:36.
Brandon Rutley fumbled and Alex Bazzie recovered on the 31 on the first play from scrimmage of the second half, setting up Leone's 31-yard field goal.
Leone added a nine-yard boot with 3:08 left in the game and a 27-yarder with 29 seconds left.