With their comeback bid hanging in the balance, Ciante Evans came to the rescue.

Despite Greg Wilson’s 42-yard touchdown with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the BC Lions appeared to be on their way to victory at McMahon Stadium on Friday night.

But the Red and White had new life when Evans picked off Johnathon Jennings on the ensuing series as the ex-Nebraska Cornhusker intercepted the pass that would soon enable the Stamps to tie up the contest.

“We had to,” said Evans when asked about the defence’s desire to earn back another possession in the final moments. “We came together on the sideline and when the offence scored a touchdown, we knew we had to get a stop or make a play. That’s what we honed in on.”

On Fan Appreciation Night – a fitting coincidence – the Stampeder faithful remained on hand in hopes of seeing Calgary erase their 15-point fourth-quarter deficit. In total, the home side rallied to post 22 points in the final frame.

“It was exciting,” the Arlington, Tex., native stated in reference a sequence that included a Bakari Grant touchdown and Anthony Parker two-point conversion to tie the game 41-41. “I was stoked. I know the fans were kind of out of it when they saw the score, but when we gained some momentum they came back and they started cheering us on. We were trying to figure out what we needed to do, especially defensively, to get some things corrected. But we got them corrected and we were able to make some plays in the end.”

Making his return to the lineup after a three-game absence, the second-year Stamp didn’t miss a beat, tallying five tackles in addition to his interception in the wild 44-41 overtime win.

“Yeah for sure, I felt comfortable, and not just (by) relying on my teammates and the scheme,” explained the 23-year-old. “We won the game and that’s all I’m really worried about. It’s on to (face) Saskatchewan next week.”

With a Rene Paredes field goal to open OT, the Lions looked destined to either match the three-point kick or earn an outright win with a close-range touchdown. However, one of Evans’ fellow defensive backs corralled the game-ending interception in the back of the end zone.

“He did his job,” Evans offered on Tommie Campbell’s heroic effort while covering intended-receiver Shawn Gore. “That was his job, that was his assignment. He relied on the defensive scheme. A great player made a great play at that time.”