As much as she downplayed it, you just know this one felt sweet for Carrie Watts. The University of Victoria Vikes’ first-year women’s basketball head coach guided her charges to a 67-54 sa国际传媒 West victory over the UBC Thunderbirds before a sold-out crowd up to the half-capacity allowed for Ken and Kathy Shields Court at CARSA gym due to pandemic restrictions.
Watts was assistant coach to Olympian and head coach Deb Huband at UBC since 2007, and a national-champion Thunderbirds player before that, before being overlooked for the UBC head coaching job when Huband retired last year.
“This is a big rivalry game between these two teams, regardless of my story having been with the Thunderbirds and having coached most of those players,” said Watts, a former national team player at the Pan Am Games and FIBA world championship.
“Any rivalry win is special.”
UVic (7-4) has done it twice this season, including on a buzzer beater at UBC (5-8).
Ashlyn Day led UVic with 42 points, becoming only the third Vikes player to score more than 40 points in a game along with Amira Giannattasio, who had two 44-point games in 2018, and Olympian Carol Turney who had 42 in 1978.
“This definitely feels good, especially for Carrie [Watts], because of her history at UBC,” said Day, the fourth-year native of Kelowna.
But the night belonged to Day, insisted her coach.
“Ashlyn is so calm and experienced. Nothing ruffles her,” said Watts. “She is so efficient … Ashlyn took only 22 shots tonight.”
FOUL SHOTS: The raucous half-capacity capped crowd made the noise of a full gym in the marquee matchup men’s sa国际传媒 West game between UVic and UBC that closed out the evening. The Thunderbirds came in undefeated at 13-0 and UVic 7-1 after having four games postponed due to COVID protocols and not having played since Dec. 4. The Vikes managed to fend off a late charge by the T-Birds and come away with a 90-84 victory.
The UVic-UBC set closes out today with the women’s game at 3 p.m. and men’s at 5 p.m. at CARSA gym.
