The UVic Vikes wasted a good opportunity at home last weekend. They鈥檒l have a much tougher challenge this afternoon and Sunday as the men鈥檚 basketball team faces the host Manitoba Bisons in sa国际传媒 West play in Winnipeg.
Swept by Thompson Rivers last weekend, the Vikes sit 6-6 on the season. They now face the 10-4 Bisons, who are on a five-game win streak, including a pair at home last weekend in which they scored 185 total points against Lethbridge, which was 10-2 prior to the matchup.
鈥淚t is a really tight conference race. We are trying to stay positive after the [past] weekend. You make your own breaks and, obviously, we didn鈥檛 do enough in the fourth quarter of both games,鈥� head coach Craig Beaucamp said of the losses in which the Vikes failed to hang on to fourth-quarter leads.
鈥淲e played pretty solid basketball for at least six of the eight quarters and could have come away with two wins or earned a split. But instead, we came away with no wins. We are just trying to stay positive, get better in practice. And we had one of our best practices of the season [this week], so we are feeling good about that.鈥�
Against the Bisons, the Vikes will face Justus Alleyn, whose 22.8 points per game has him sitting third in conference scoring. Manitoba has allowed an average of 73.7 points against per outing, the second fewest in sa国际传媒 West, while the Vikes sit fifth at 77.1 against per game.
鈥淛ustus is a guy that is probably going to get his chances. We just have to make sure they are contested shots,鈥� Beaucamp said. 鈥淗e is going to find a way to get points. We just have to limit the rest of their group as much as we can. It鈥檚 the second and third scorers that hurt you more than the top guy.鈥�
As for Dani Sinclair鈥檚 Vikes women鈥檚 team, they look to build off a pair of wins at home last weekend.
This week, it鈥檚 a matchup of two streaking teams as the 8-6 Bisons have won five straight and six of their last seven. The 8-4 Vikes have claimed four consecutive victories. Victoria has won the last 12 games between the two teams, dating back to the 2006-07 season.
鈥淕oing into their gym will be a good test for us,鈥� Sinclair said. 鈥淭hey pose a problem with their overall size. They are long and athletic at a lot of positions. They can really get out in passing lanes defensively, so we will have to take care of the ball and also rebound well.鈥�
Sinclair鈥檚 group will play at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. PST, respectively in the two games. The men will take to the floor at 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
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