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Desperate teams are dangerous teams. The season was on the line for the Winnipeg Wesmen on Saturday, and they played like it, destroying the University of Victoria Vikes 92-65 in the deciding third game of their sa国际传媒 West women鈥檚 basketball playoff quarter-final.
Regardless of the outcome, the Vikes are guaranteed a host berth in the 2017 U Sports national championship tournament at CARSA Gym from March 9 to 12.
鈥淪ome might say we don鈥檛 belong there, but we know we belong there,鈥� Vikes coach Dani Sinclair said.
鈥淣ow, we will have a chip on our shoulder. We鈥檒l have a couple of days rest and then we鈥檒l get back to work preparing for nationals.鈥�
The Wesmen had no such cushion, despite having the best record in the sa国际传媒 West regular season at 18-2 and being ranked No. 6 nationally in U Sports. Their chances of gaining even a wildcard berth into the eight-team U Sports national tournament would have been nil if they didn鈥檛 at least advance to the sa国际传媒 West Final Four next weekend.
Now the Wesmen are still on beam to get to the nationals in Victoria as sa国际传媒 West champions. Those were the ample stakes for them in the third and deciding game of the quarter-final against the Vikes.
鈥淭hey [Wesmen] decided they didn鈥檛 want their season to end,鈥� Sinclair said.
鈥淲e were a full step behind most of the game. We had expended a lot of energy the night before [in beating Winnipeg 74-69 in Game 2 after the Wesmen won the opening game 82-70].鈥�
sa国际传媒 West leading-scorer Antoinette Miller of the Wesmen cranked down 31 points on the Vikes. Forwards Nicole Karstein had 13 points and Jenna Bugiardini 12 for UVic while shooting-guard Jenna Krug scored 10.
The Vikes were 12-8 in conference in regular season and swept the MacEwan University Griffins 2-0 in the opening-round of the playoffs last weekend.
