B.C. quarterback Buck Pierce, right, outruns Saskatchewan's Sean Lucas during the second half of Friday's game. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

Running back Martell Mallett had two touchdowns and special teams player O'Neil Wilson scored off a fumbled punt return as the B.C. Lions beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders 35-20 on Friday night.

A swarming Lions defence had five sacks, three by end Brent Johnson, created turnovers and kept the Riders offence unhinged.

"We were sick of losing," said Johnson. "That was our only option — to win tonight.

"It was a combined team effort. This was the must wins of must wins."

Lions quarterback Buck Pierce had a strong game and may have silenced, for this week anyway, the whispers over whether he deserves to be the starter.

He hit Mallett with a three-yard touchdown and engineered some long drives. Mallett also scored on a 13-yard run late in the game.

Mallett ripped through the Riders defence, collecting 99 yards on 17 carries, and caught five passes for 22 yards.

"We just went out there and executed," he said. "The offensive line blocked well. I was just hitting the holes. They opened it for me and I got in it."

Miles enters CFL record book

Saskatchewan wide receiver Rob Bagg hauled in touchdown passes of 47 and 33 yards from quarterback Darian Durant.

Chris Szarka scored on a one-yard plunge in the last minute of the game, but the convert attempt was blocked by Barron Miles. That was his 13th career blocked kick, a CFL record.

"It was frustrating," said Durant, who completed 10 of 19 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns. "B.C. gave us plenty of opportunities to put more points on the board. We just didn't capitalize."

The win, before a home crowd of 30,117, snapped a two-game losing streak and improved the Lions' record to 2-4. Saskatchewan is 3-3.

Pierce patiently picked the Saskatchewan defence apart, finding open receivers and hitting them with crisp passes. He even pulled down the ball for a 21-yard run in the third quarter.

One of his favourite targets was slotback Paris Jackson, who hauled in eight passes for 92 yards.

"I was very proud of our offence tonight," said Pierce, who completed 26 of 34 passes for 215 yards. "The way we stayed poised, the way we moved the ball.

"Running and throwing the ball, we were very good."

Outstanding field position

The Lions moved the ball with some hard running by Mallett. The Lions started most of their drives with great field position after blistering punt returns by Ryan Grice-Mullen, who ran back seven kicks for 73 yards.

The Lions scored on a wild play late in the second quarter to lead 19-14 at halftime.

B.C. was forced to punt from deep in its own end, but Saskatchewan's Gerran Walker couldn't handle the kick.

The Lions' Jerome Dennis got a hand on the ball but it squirted loose. James Yurichuk kicked the ball down the field, where Wilson finally scooped it up on the run at the 14-yard line and ran into the end zone.

"It was a game-changer, all right," Roughriders head coach Ken Miller said. "It was an unusual play, one you don't see very often."

The Saskatchewan attack seemed flat and uninspired. Durant was forced to hurry many of his throws and was intercepted twice.

He was replaced by backup Steven Jyles in the fourth quarter. Wes Cates made a few good runs but often was smothered for short gains. The Riders also started many drives deep in their own end.

Rookie B.C. kicker Sean Whyte was good on field goals of 44, 43, 33 and 19 yards.