Tale of the Weekend
VICTORIA – After ending the first half of their schedule with two huge wins on the road, the UVic Vikes women's basketball team is chomping at the bit to get 2018 underway with a pair of games inside the CARSA Performance Gym, against the Thompson Rivers WolfPack on Jan. 5 and 6.
Taking place at 6 p.m. on Friday and 5 p.m. on Saturday, the games will pit the 6-4 Vikes against a WolfPack team that currently sits just one spot ahead of them in the standings with a record of 7-5.
Due to the unbalanced schedules played by teams in the Canada West conference, the playoffs will be determined with the top 12 teams by record qualifying, but then those teams will be seeded by their
RPI. As a result of the Vikes playing against teams with higher winning percentages they hold an RPI of .5519 compared to TRU's .4966 mark.
These teams met in Kamloops, B.C. last season and the Vikes emerged from the weekend with a road sweep thanks to victories of 79-66 and 80-70.
Kristy Gallagher and
Amira Giannattasio both had success against the WolfPack, scoring 32 and 30 points respectively over the weekend.
The game on Friday night is also a part of Dairyland's Nights of Lightning. Vikes fans are encouraged to wear black to create total darkness as the Vikes bring the lightning; lots of student prizes and giveaways will be available including $500 in tuition credit
Last Time Out
The Vikes ended 2017 with a bang in Canada West play, defeating the-then No. 10 ranked team in the nation, the Alberta Pandas, in back-to-back games in Edmonton. Travelling to Toronto over the holiday break, the Vikes went 2-1 in an exhibition game series, splitting a pair of games with the Toronto Varsity Blues as well as defeating the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks.
The WolfPack split the final games of their 2017 Canada West schedule, losing 86-61 before rebounding to win 91-80 in a pair of home games against the University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves. The 91 points they scored in that contest was their highest total of the season and only the fourth time that they have recorded more than 70 points through the 12 games that they have played.
By the Numbers
8: The key to TRU's success has been depth. Eight different players on their roster have averaged 15 minutes or more of playing time per game.
72.1: The number of points per game the Vikes are averaging as a team, the fourth most in the conference.
7: These games mark the beginning of a second half schedule that will see the Vikes play seven of their final ten games at home.
Coach's Take
Dani Sinclair, Vikes head coach
On winning four of their last five games.
"You are always trying to look ahead, so as important as those wins were they mean nothing if we don't perform in the second half of the season. We have to look at what is in front of us. We have a difficult weekend against a really tough, up-tempo team that can get hot in TRU."
On how to deal with TRU's deep roster
"We have to get a big weekend from a number of people as well. Hopefully we can rely on a lot of different people and not put the responsibility on the shoulders of one or two people. We are at our best when we have multiple people playing a lot of minutes for us as well."
On finishing the season with seven of ten games at home
"We are trying to have the mindset that you can't get too wrapped up in whether you are home, away, or even who you are playing against. You just have to deal with what is in front of you, it's good for our fans and our girls, but we are trying to stay narrowly focused on ourselves whether we are playing at home or not."
Game Info
Friday, Jan. 5 – 6:00 p.m. – vs. Thompson Rivers WolfPack, CARSA Performance Gym – Buy tickets at govikesgo.com – Watch live on canadawest.tv
Saturday, Jan. 6 – 5:00 p.m. – vs. Thompson Rivers WolfPack, CARSA Performance Gym – Buy tickets at govikesgo.com – Watch live on canadawest.tv
Thompson Rivers WolfPack (7-5)
Canada West Standings: 7
RPI: .4966
PF: 781
PA: 866
Last Week: 1-1-0
Streak: W 2
Last Canada West Title: N/A
Last U SPORTS Title: N/A
