The University of Victoria Vikes shrugged off an indifferent 2-6 pre-season campaign by defeating the Trinity Western Spartans 82-71 in the sa国际传媒 West regular season men鈥檚 basketball opener for both teams Friday night in Langley.
Defending conference champion UVic, a CIS Final Four team the past two years, led 43-26 at the half.
Meanwhile, the women鈥檚 game featured several momentum shifts, with Trinity Western getting the last one. The Spartans scored eight unanswered points in overtime to defeat the Vikes 78-70 in the sa国际传媒 West women鈥檚 opener.
鈥淥ur execution in overtime was very poor,鈥� said Vikes coach Dani Sinclair.
鈥淚nstead of getting the ball to the rim, we settled for jump shots.鈥�
None of which fell.
Sinclair was displeased with the entire performance.
鈥淭rinity out-worked us and out-competed us and beat us to every loose ball,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey simply out-played us.鈥�
The Spartans led by up to nine points, and 40-35 at the half, before UVic outscored TWU 20-14 in the third quarter. The Vikes trailed 65-70 with 1:22 remaining in regulation time and pushed the ball inside, tying the game 70-70 by making five of six free throws in the waning moments. Jenna Bugiardini missed the front end with 14 seconds remaining but sent the game to OT by making her second. Six of TWU鈥檚 points in extra time came on free throws.
Amira Giannattasio and Bugiardini led the Vikes in scoring with 17 points each. Tessa Ratzlaff went off for Trinity Western with a 31-point performance.
The UVic-TWU men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 teams meet again tonight.
