Abbotsford, B.C. – The University of Victoria women's basketball team showcased their grit and determination with a hard-fought 71-67 win over the University of the Fraser Valley, Nov. 22, at the UFV Athletic Centre.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Vikes fight back to end first quarter tied

• The Cascades led for most of the first quarter, growing their lead to nine points, 17-8, with three minutes to play in the first quarter.
• A 7-0 Vikes run on a pair of free throws from Abigail Becker, a steal followed by a fastbreak layup from Natalie Allison, and a Makena Anderson three-pointer pulled the Vikes within two, 17-15, with just under two minutes to go.
• Four-straight points from Becker on a pair of free throws and a put-back resulted in a tie game, 19-19, after the first 10 minutes of play.

Vikes take the lead in the second, hold lead at half

• UFV went up by seven over the first two and a half minutes of the second, until jumpers from Tana Pankratz and Karis de Paiva and a pair of free throws by Mimi Sigue brought the Vikes back within one, 28-27, five minutes in.
• A Becker free throw and later jumper gave the Vikes the 30-29 lead with 3:32 to go.
• Four points from de Paiva and a Pankratz three closed the Vikes' second quarter scoring, putting Victoria ahead by a score of 40-35 at halftime.

Vikes grow lead in third

• A jumper from Sigue and three-pointer by Pankratz opened the third quarter, putting the Vikes up, 45-36, with nine minutes to go in the third. Becker followed with jumper for the double-digit lead, 47-36, 10 seconds later.
• The Cascades cut the Vikes' lead down to seven, but a Pankratz three followed by jumpers from Allison and Meike Boerstra gave the Vikes a 54-40 advantage with four and a half minutes to go.
• UFV scored the final four points of the third to bring the score to 55-48 for the Vikes at the end of the third.

Sigue wins it for the Vikes

• The Vikes were hit with a scoreless stretch to open the fourth quarter, resulting in the Cascades tying the game, 55-55, with seven minutes to play. The Cascades would later hit back-to-back three's and take a 63-59 lead with just under three minutes to go.
• Allison tied the game back up with a three-pointer, 65-65, at the 1:21 mark. A subsequent UFV basket was met with a Pankratz layup to keep the game tied, 67-67, with 30 seconds to go.
• Sigue was fouled with 23 seconds remaining in the game. Knocking down both free throws for the two-point Vikes lead, 69-67, Sigue's defensive effort sealed the win for the Vikes in the next possession. Blocking the initial Cascade shot attempt, Sigue then forced the UFV turnover, stealing the ball back and capitalizing on a fastbreak opportunity with a layup to seal the win for Victoria, 71-67. 

FROM THE COURT - Head coach Carrie Watts
"We had a bit of slow start in the first quarter, but were able to get some great things out of our press to keep us in it and come back to take the lead in the first half. On the individual side, having Tana [Pankratz] back on the court and being able to feed off of her experience in the back court and be another perimeter scoring threat in our lineup is big. Great effort from Mimi [Sigue], especially with clutch free throw shooting in the fourth quarter for the win."

WORTH NOTING

• Tana Pankratz led the Vikes with a season-high 20 points, adding eight rebounds, four assists, one block, and one steal in the win.
• Abigail Becker recorded her second-straight double-double, notching 12 points and 10 rebounds. She also added four assists to tie Pankratz for the team-high.
• Mimi Sigue's 15 points match a season-high, while Karis de Paiva rounded out the double-digit scoring performances for the Vikes with 10. de Paiva also led the Vikes with four steals, marking a career-high.
• The Vikes' 38.8% shooting (26-for-67) marks their second-best percentage of the year (46.6% at Trinity Western, Oct. 31).
• Victoria improves to 4-3 on the year with the win, while Fraser Valley moves to 5-2. 

UP NEXT
The Vikes and Cascades match up for a second time tomorrow, Nov. 23 at 3 p.m. Catch the game on Canada West TV presented by BioSteel.