VICTORIA - A third quarter run and some timely shooting by forward #
Sarah Semeniuk# and guard #
Jenny Lewis# aided the UVic Vikes in a 70-56 win over the OUA's Lakehead Thunderwolves in exhibition women's basketball play at McKinnon Gymnasium on Oct. 28.
BOX SCORE
With the win, the Vikes improve to 2-2 on the preseason. They begin Canada West play on Friday Nov. 4 and Saturday Nov. 5 on the road against the Fraser Valley Cascades in Abbotsford, B.C. (
WATCH LIVE on http://canadawest.tv).
Semeniuk (Fruitvale, B.C.) led the Vikes with a double-double on 18 points and 11 rebounds and was particularly effective in helping the Vikes back into the game in the second quarter with excellent work in the offensive paint. She finished with seven-for-13 shooting, with five of her rebounds on the offensive glass.
Freshman guard Lewis (Fall River, N.S.) added 12 points off the bench along with four assists, three rebounds and two steals in a great performance. #
Chelsea McMullen# (Prince George, B.C.) added 11 points.
"It's easy when your teammates get you open looks," said Lewis of her four-for-10 shooting performance that include a trio of three-pointers. "We have high expectations of ourselves and and our team. Any time a team comes here we want to make it a challenge for them to play here. Home court advantage is key and this was our first game here and it's a good start for us."
Another rookie, #
Shaylyn Crisp# of Victoria had seven rebounds and six assists but was held pointless, despite entering the game averaging over 10 points per contest.
It was the first home win for Vikes head coach #Rich Chambers# in his first season with the team.
In the first quarter, the Thunderwolves lost fifth-year senior and forward
Lindsay Druery with what looked like an ankle injury. The Thunderwolves, however, led 17-14 after the opening 10 minutes. Druery did come back into the game for the second half and had a team-high 10 points.
Carolyn Fragale also had 10 points along with four boards.
In the second quarter, improved Vikes half-court defence allowed them to claw back into the game but untimely fouls cost them.
However, a great run of scrappy play midway through the second quarter allowed the Vikes to tie the game and then retake the lead. Back-to-back Semeniuk baskets make it 25-23 for UVIc, and then four offensive boards in a row, and Semeniuk's playoff-like intensity gave her squad the momentum.
The Vikes led the Thunderwolves 31-27 at the half. Semeniuk had seven points and seven boards, while Camosun College transfer McMullen also had seven points along with three boards and an assist.
UVic opened the third quarter on a 12-5 run, en route to a 27-11 cushion in the period to build a 58-38 lead entering the fourth. The largest lead for UVic was a 23-point spread late in the third quarter, with the Vikes spreading double-digit scoring among three players.
In the fourth Lakehead outscored the Vikes 18-12 but they could not make up for their 24 turnovers that resulted in 25 Vikes points.
UVic outscored the Thunderwolves 34-18 in the paint and shot 44 per cent on the game. They held Lakehead to just three three-pointers on 21 attempts.
"Our goal is to win the national champoinship and that's been our goal since the start," Lewis said. "It will take a lot of work but we have a lot of character on this team and we're prepared to do what it takes... We've got great guidance from Rich (Chambers) and Dani (Sinclair), they're awesome, and it's so exciting to be part of this, to be here."
