VICTORIA, B.C. – This weekend, Nov. 20-21, the University of Victoria Vikes women's basketball team is looking to respond from last weekend's back-to-back defeats, as the Calgary Dinos visit the CARSA Performance Gym for a pair of games. The Vikes dropped to 1-3 after a pair of losses to the now CIS No. 1-ranked Saskatchewan Huskies (4-0), while the Dinos are 3-1 following a clean sweep on the road last weekend of the Manitoba Bisons.
 
The Vikes trailed by as much as 19 points in Saturday's loss, eventually losing 78-65 to concede the sweep to the highly-ranked Huskies. Second-year guard Kristy Gallagher was one of the lone bright spots for the Vikes, scoring 22 points. The Huskies moved from second into the top spot for women's basketball in the country following this past weekend's wins over the Vikes.
 
After trailing at half-time on Nov. 14 against the Bisons, the Dinos exploded in the second half for 62 points en route to a 100-71 victory. Fifth years Kristie Sheils, Kelsey Lund and Claire Colbourne led the Dinos with 27, 24 and 21 points respectively, in the final game of the series.
 
Offensively, it has been an all-senior affair so far for the Dinos this season. Sheils, Lund and Colbourne occupy the top three in points-per-game and points in the paint for the Dinos through the first four games. Sheils leads the Dinos in both field goal percentage at 53.2 per cent and a three-point percentage of 50 per cent.
 
"They're a veteran team with lots of experience and good guard play," said Vikes women's basketball head coach Dani Sinclair. "We will have to defend well in the paint and also try to control them in transition. They push the ball well and play with good pace."
 
While the Vikes lack any fifth years, their veterans lie in six-foot-one forward Nicole Karstein and fourth year forward Jenna Bugiardini. Both will be key under the hoop, while second-year guard Amira Giannattasio will look to get back to her scoring ways. The reigning Canada West Rookie of the Year missed the latter part of pre-season exhibition for a lower body injury, while her return in regular season had her in double digits for the opening three games but was limited to just eight points in Saturday's loss to Saskatchewan.
 
The Vikes have been scoring so far this Canada West season but coming up short on rebounds in both ends of the court has plagued the young squad. At the start of the season, Sinclair emphasized the Vikes' need to be more aggressive on the boards and rebound while the offence could take care of itself.
 
"When we've played well, we've given ourselves more second chances by rebounding and attacking the boards," said Sinclair of her team's faults in the paint. "Being able to rebound and defend well gets your offence going. It allows you to get some easier baskets. That will be a huge key to take care of that in our own end."
 
Calgary's Colbourne leads the CIS in rebounds this season with 51, with 41 of those coming in the defensive end. On the other side of the court, Lund is second in the CIS for offensive rebounds with 19. Shutting down the trio of Sheils, Lund and Colbourne will be a priority for the Vikes as they still try to find a foothold in this young Canada West 2015-16 season.
 
"At the offensive end we need to move off the ball and share it better," said Sinclair. "Sticking to the game plan on the defensive end and not allowing the Dinos to go to their strengths will be a big game-changer."
 
This weekend's double-header begins on Nov. 20 at 6:00 p.m. with the second game at 5:00 p.m. on Nov. 21. Vikes Nation and UVic Food Services are partnering to provide a pre-event tailgate party for UVic students with their game day ticket and UVic OneCard. The BBQ will begin in the CARSA plaza at 6:15 p.m. and will include burgers, face paint and music while quantities last.
 
All games will be streamed live with video and stats on pay-per-view on canadwest.tv and ticket information can be found at govikesgo.com/tickets.