Cascading echoes of 鈥淎miiiirrrra鈥� reverberated from the public address speakers as University of Victoria Vikes sharp-shooter Amira Giannattasio rained down 16 points, including four three-points, in the decisive third quarter Friday night on Ken and Kathy Shields Court.
The lethal shooting-guard from Hamilton, Ont., finished with 30 points overall, including hitting seven of nine treys, as the Vikes defeated the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns 84-59 in a sa国际传媒 West women鈥檚 basketball game in CARSA Gym.
鈥淪hooters gotta shoot,鈥� said UVic coach Dani Sinclair.
And Giannattasio certainly is, and she did 鈥� especially in the third-quarter surge that decided the game.
鈥淭hree-point shooters like to keep the roll going,鈥� said Giannattasio.
鈥淢y teammates were looking for me [to pass to once she got hot].鈥�
Everybody knows the Vikes can score with players such as Giannattasio, and inside threat Jenna Bugiardini, who had 26 points.
鈥淏ut defence has been our focus,鈥� countered Giannattasio.
鈥淓veryone has owned their own man [player they are covering].鈥�
Sinclair also pointed to the defensive side of the ball.
鈥淢arissa Dheensaw has been huge for us defensively with her pressure,鈥� said the Vikes head coach.
鈥淲hen we get stops, it allows us to play the transition game.鈥�
It was UVic鈥檚 fifth consecutive victory as the Vikes moved to 9-4 in conference ahead of hosting the U Sports national championship tournament in March at CARSA. The Pronghorns fell to 4-11.
鈥淲e want to prove we were meant to be there [nationals] and not just there as hosts,鈥� said Giannattasio.
In the sa国际传媒 West men鈥檚 game, a sharply-executing Lethbridge team moved to 9-6 in conference with a comprehensive 76-58 victory over the ice-cold Vikes (5-8), who shot just 24.1 percent from the field.
Elliott Sentence from Leicester, England, showed why he is one of the best players in sa国际传媒 West by scoring 22 points. Grant Sitton had 18 points for UVic and Scott Kellum 15.
The teams meet again tonight in CARSA with the Vikes-Pronghorns men鈥檚 game at 7 p.m. and the women鈥檚 game starting at 5 p.m.
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