Prince George, B.C. – The University of Victoria women's basketball team posted a dominant win over the University of Northern British Columbia, 71-50, Jan. 16, at the Northern Sports Centre.
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Vikes take lead in first; hold it through second

• Though UNBC jumped to an early 8-4 lead, the Vikes were right back in it with a free throw by Karis de Paiva and jumper and free throw from Tana Pankratz to put Victoria ahead, 9-0, with 5:47 to go in the opening frame.
• After trading baskets for the next several minutes, the Vikes used the final two minutes of the quarter to go on a 9-2 run and hold a 24-16 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.
• The Timberwolves attempted to pull back even with the Vikes in the second quarter, getting as close as four points down, 30-26, at the halfway point of the frame. However, a Meike Boerstra put-back, fastbreak layup from Abigail Becker and three-pointer by de Paiva extended the Vikes' lead to 11, 37-26, with 2:34 to play.
• Though scoreless for the remainder of the quarter, the Vikes allowed just two points to UNBC in that time, maintaining a 37-28 lead at the halftime break.

Vikes outscore Timberwolves in final two quarters to seal win

• Not letting up through the third quarter, the Vikes outscored UNBC 16-13 in the third to take a 53-41 lead into the final frame.
• Not allowing their lead to shrink to less than 14 points at any time in the fourth, the Vikes closed out the win with a three from Jade Dittmer to bring the final score to 71-50 for UVic.

FROM THE COURT – Head coach Carrie Watts
"It was a good defensive effort to hold them to 50 points. UNBC is tough in their gym and a win on the road is always a positive. We shot the ball well and showed some good grit in a physical game."
 
WORTH NOTING

• The 21-point win is the largest margin of victory for the Vikes so far this season.
• Victoria handed UNBC its first home loss of the 2024-25 season with the win.
• Tana Pankratz led the Vikes with 20 points, which matches her season-high. She also led the Vikes in assists (6), steals (5), and tied for the team-high in blocks (3).
• Mimi Sigue added 11 points and six rebounds in the win, while Natalie Allison added 10 points on a team-high two three-pointers.
• Abigail Becker led the team with 13 boards, tying her season-high. She added seven points and tied for the team-high with three blocks.
• The Vikes improve to 6-5 with the win, while UNBC falls to 3-8 with the loss. 

UP NEXT
The Vikes head to Kamloops, B.C. for a matchup against Thompson Rivers University Saturday, Jan. 18 at 4 p.m. Catch the game on Canada West TV presented by BioSteel.