Tiger-Cats rout Lions, advance to East final

Jeremiah Masoli threw three touchdowns Sunday, leading the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to a 48-8 victory over the BC Lions in the Eastern semifinal.

Hamilton will play the Ottawa Redblacks in the Eastern final.

Masoli finished 14-of-19 for 259 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He's a nominee for the CFL's Most Outstanding Player award alongside Calgary Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell.

The contest was never particularly close, with Hamilton racing out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and scoring 44 unanswered points. The Ti-Cats held BC quarterback Travis Lulay to 103 yards passing and an interception, which was returned for a touchdown by cornerback Frankie Williams.

BC finished fourth in the West Division this season but was transferred to the East playoffs due to its superior record over the Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts. The Lions also advanced to the playoffs over the Edmonton Eskimos despite their identical 9-9 records because they won their respective head-to-head series.