For the first time in several years, the University of Victoria Vikes basketball teams did not travel to the Prairies, Ontario or California for Christmas break tournaments or tours.
The Vikes men鈥檚 team did play the University of Northern sa国际传媒 Timberwolves in a couple of exhibitions, which UVic won.
The Vikes teams will be hoping the rest does them good as they commence sa国际传媒 West conference play tonight and Saturday against the University of Regina Cougars on Ken and Kathy Shields Court at CARSA gymnasium.
鈥淲e were on the road so much in first half of conference play [first seven of eight games] that players were content with training, and we got good training days in,鈥� said Vikes women鈥檚 head coach Dani Sinclair.
UVic men鈥檚 head coach Craig Beaucamp concurred: 鈥淚t was a short turnaround this year with New Year鈥檚 Day falling on the Tuesday and conference play beginning Friday. We don鈥檛 play UNBC in conference, so it was good to get in two games over the break against the Timberwolves.鈥�
Regina comes into tonight 7-3 in sa国际传媒 West and UVic 4-6.
鈥淭he Cougars are a smaller team but one that is very fast and can use 10 players liberally,鈥� said Beaucamp.
鈥淭hey are in that pack of teams we will be battling with for playoff spots, so this is big weekend. sa国际传媒 West is sort of the [U Sports] version of the NBA Western Conference. You have to take it one weekend at a time, as clich茅d as that sounds.鈥�
The Cougars women鈥檚 team, meanwhile, is 8-2 in conference and has lived in the U Sports top-10 the past few seasons. But while their great provincial rival University of Saskatchewan Huskies, coached by Canadian Olympic team mentor Lisa Thomaidis, won its first national title in 2016, the Cougars are still in the hunt for their first. Regina hosted the 2018 national U Sports tournament and thought that might be the moment. But the second-ranked Cougars were upended by the Huskies 74-71 in the semifinals as Saskatchewan went on to the championship game, which was won by the Carleton Ravens for their first national women鈥檚 hoops title.
鈥淭he Cougars are a very good team and we have to adjust to what they do,鈥� said Sinclair, whose Vikes are 6-4 in sa国际传媒 West.
鈥淏ut we can鈥檛 give into them off the bat. Having the mindset of being able to compete against them is important. They can score and are athletic and have size. They have been very good for a long time. We have to limit their runs. All of a sudden you can be down by 20 points to Regina in the blink of an eye. We have to take care of the ball and stop their scoring runs.鈥�
The Cougars are led by Kyanna Giles and her conference fourth-leading 19.1 points per game while Macaela Crone is third in sa国际传媒 West in shooting percentage by hitting 53.8 per cent of her shots.
Meanwhile, injured veteran Vikes shooting-guard Kristy Gallagher will be a medical redshirt and not play this season. The Parkland Secondary graduate will complete her fifth season at UVic in 2019-20.
