The University of Victoria Vikes forced a third and deciding game in their Canada West Quarter-Final series with the University of Winnipeg Wesmen by posting a come from behind 74-69 victory in game two Friday afternoon at the Dr. David F. Anderson Gymnasium in Winnipeg.
 
"We played gritty and took care of the boards," said Vikes head coach Dani Sinclair. "We were finally able to control the pace of the game, in the second half especially, we stuck with it and played tough."
 
Game three will take place on Saturday afternoon with an 11:30 a.m. start time. The winner of the series will advance to the Canada West Final Four next weekend (location TBD).
 
The Vikes overcame a 10 point halftime deficit (41-31) using a 19-9 outburst in the third quarter to tie the score 50-50 after 30 minutes and closed out the contest outscoring the Wesmen 24-19 in the final frame.
 
"We found ways to move the ball a little better offensively and tried to simplify things," said Sinclair. "We got the ball into places where people could attack and we were able to draw some fouls to get to the free-throw line. "
 
Amira Giannattasio led the Vikes with 21 points, including going four-of-six from three point land. Jenna Bugiardini had a double-double of 20 points and 15 rebounds while Nicole Karstein added 19 points.
 
Winnipeg was led by Antoinette Miller's double-double of 26 points and 13 rebounds. Faith Hezekiah finished with 17 points and nine boards. Megan Noonan had 12 points, all on three-pointers.
 
The Wesmen held a slim 20-17 lead after the opening frame with both top scorers making an impact. Miller had 13 points and eight rebounds in the opening 10 minutes while Giannattasio had 11.
 
Winnipeg opened up the second quarter on a 12-7 run, highlighted by a pair of three-pointers by Noonan to extend Winnipeg's lead to double-digits at 32-24 forcing the Vikes to take a timeout. Both teams played even for the remainder of the quarter as Winnipeg went into the halftime break leading 41-31.
 
Victoria took advantage of a struggling Wesmen team in the third quarter. Winnipeg struggled connecting on 2-of-16 from the field as the Vikes outscored Winnipeg 19-9 to tie the score at 50 after three quarters.
 
"Tonight we built confidence from our defensive play and that helped propel everybody to make plays and find the win," said Sinclair. "Making gritty and tough plays is key, you need that at this time of year."
 
Victoria had the advantage in the rebounding department by a slim 39-38 margin. 
 
SCORING SUMMARY
UVIC: 17-14-19-24: 70
WPG: 20-21-9-19: 82
 
SCORING LEADERS
UVIC: Amira Giannattasio (21), Jenna Bugiardini (20), Nicole Karstein (19)
WPG: Antoinette Miller (26), Faith Hezekiah (17), Megan Noonan (12)