VICTORIA – The University of Victoria Vikes women's basketball team will return to the floor this weekend, going over a month since their last Canada West game. The Vikes will travel for their first road series of 2013 to face the Winnipeg Wesmen, on Jan. 11, and the Manitoba Bisons, on Jan. 12, with both games tipping off at 4 p.m.
FULL SCHEDULE /
LIVE VIDEO & STATS
Despite the long absence from the Canada West scene, the Vikes continued training throughout the exam period and also traveled to California, Dec. 28-30 for a December training tour. The team conceded losses to both Biola and Vanguard University but return fresh-faced and well-prepared.
With a current 6-4 record, the Vikes are seeded fourth in the Canada West Pacific Division, while the Wesmen and Bisons rank sixth and seventh, respectively, in the Prairie Divison.
In the get-going, the Vikes earned a steady spot on the first five top-10 polls. Aiming to re-capture a spot on that list, the Vikes will need to bounce back from their current 0.8 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Although the Vikes will be on the road, fifth-year veteran
Debbie Yeboah (Winnipeg, MB) will enjoy her own hometown crowd, as the Vikes' leading scorer will look to improve her current 18.4 average points per game. Yeboah is fourth in the conference for scoring and is chased closely by teammate and third-year
Jessica Renfrew (Victoria, BC).
Renfrew averaged 13.3 points per game throughout the fall season and carried the team in California in their exhibition games. The five-foot-ten guard scored an incredible 31 points, in the Vikes' 72-62 loss to the NAIA Division 1 and No. 3-ranked Vanguard University.
Associate coach
Dani Sinclair has had seen the depth in her bench as veterans
Cassandra Goodis (Penticton, BC) and
Chelsea McMullen (Prince George, B.C.) have been consistent leaders on the team, while first-year players
Jenna Bugiardini (Hamilton, ON),
Kristen Monasterski (Marwayne, AB) and
Tessla Rennie (Red Lodge, MT) have all proven themselves and been rewarded with minutes on the floor.
Winnipeg and Manitoba are no strangers to eachother, as the two squads faced off over the holidays in the 22
nd Annual Duckworth Challenge, where the Wesmen prevailed with a 68-60 score. Winnipeg are led in scoring by third-year
Yael Kaplan, with an average of 12.4 points per game, while Manitoba are headed by third-year
Sheree Carmona-Galdamez, with an average of 13.7 points per game.
The Vikes tip off against the Wesmen on Jan. 11 and the Bisons on Jan. 12. Both games will go down at 4 p.m. with live web stream and stats available at
http://uvic.canadawest.tv
