VICTORIA - The University of Victoria Vikes women's basketball team gave the No. 1 nationally ranked Regina Cougars a scare, but fell 74-65 in front of just over 1,100 fans at McKinnon Gymnasium on Friday night.
UVic falls to 1-2 while Regina improves to 2-0. The Vikes host the winless Brandon Bobcats (0-3) on Saturday night at 5 p.m.
Camosun College transfer #
Chelsea McMullen# of Prince George, B.C., led the Vikes women with 18 points to earn Applebee's Player of the Game honours, while #
Cassandra Goodis# of Penticton, B.C., added 17 points.
Michelle Clark, a transfer from the NCAA's Purdue Boilermakers, had 15 points for Regina, while
Carly Graham led the Cougars with 18 points.
"They were ripe for the picking as they play fifth-ranked UBC tomorrow night," said Vikes head coach #Rich Chambers#. "I thought maybe they had looked past us a little bit. But we need to shoot better and we can't win games with two starters going three for 23 in shooting."
McMullen said she was pleased with her team's effort against the No. 1 ranked squad, but that a fourth-quarter lapse cost them.
"We could have gone in and been blown out or we could have tried to contend," McMullen said. "We played well and we could have won. It's kind of upsetting to know that if we had shot better, boxed out and made better shot choices that this game could have been ours."
The Vikes trailed 18-12 after the first quarter, but responded with a strong 18-17 run in the second-quarter, trailing by just five at the half.
Trailing by just six points entering the fourth quarter, the Vikes made a few poor shots and Regina scored in transition to build a sustainable lead.
Despite the record of their Saturday night opponent, McMullen said her squad will not overlook Brandon.
"We're going into tomorrow night like we're playing Regina, like we're playing the No. 1 team," McMullen said. "We need to respond with a win."
SCORING SUMMARY
(At McKinnon Gymnasium, Victoria, BC.)
REGINA 18 17 18 21 - 74
UVIC 12 18 15 20 - 65
Top Scorers: REG - Carly Graham 18 pts; Michelle Clark 15 pts / UVIC -
Chelsea McMullen 18 pts;
Cassandra Goodis 17 pts
