It鈥檚 a good thing the University of Victoria Vikes, like all successful teams, are used to working as hard in practices as they play in games.
A travel snafu caused their game jerseys to be left behind on the Island, necessitating the emergency wearing of practice singlets, for the Vikes鈥� 68-57 sa国际传媒 West women鈥檚 basketball victory over the Fraser Valley Cascades on Friday night in Abbotsford.
鈥淥ur manager had to tape the numbers on the backs of the singlets and then keep re-taping because they kept peeling off,鈥� said Vikes coach Dani Sinclair.
But the Vikes got through it.
There鈥檚 an old adage in sports that your best players have to be your best players. That鈥檚 exactly what UVic stars Jenna Bugiardini, with 22 points and 13 rebounds, and outside gunner Amira Giannattasio, with 15 points, were on Friday.
鈥淭hey absolutely stepped up in a way we really needed them to,鈥� said Sinclair.
Jenna Krug and Kristy Gallagher had eight points each for UVic and Marissa Dheensaw nine rebounds, six assists and four points.
UVic moved to 12-5 in sa国际传媒 West, while Fraser Valley fell to 10-7.
Meanwhile, the UVic Vikes men鈥檚 team, up by eight points late in the third quarter, dropped a crucial 87-83 sa国际传媒 West decision to the Cascades in Abbotsford. Grant Sitton had 26 points for UVic, which was outscored 22-10 in the fourth quarter.
The game had major implications for the final few remaining playoff spots, as UVic fell to 7-10 and Fraser Valley moved up to 8-9 in conference.
