Vikes women sweep first-round hoops playoffs
But men stumble in Lethbridge
The MacEwan University Griffins were serenaded by School’s Out by Alice Cooper, over the PA, as they departed Ken and Kathy Shields Court on Saturday night.
Indeed, the 3 p.m. bell sounded on the Griffins’ season as the University of Victoria Vikes defeated MacEwan 68-60 to sweep their best-of-three Canada West first-round women’s basketball playoff series 2-0.
The Vikes, eliminated by the Griffins in the second round last season, advanced to face the conference regular-season champion and U Sports national seventhranked Winnipeg Wesmen in this year’s best-of-three second round beginning Thursday in Winnipeg.
There’s still a long time until spring break for the Vikes. They will automatically advance to the U Sports national championship tournament March 9-12 at CARSA as host, regardless of how far they get in the Canada West playoffs.
MacEwan led 37-32 Saturday at the half.
“[MacEwan] played us tough. That’s playoff basketball when someone’s season is on the line,” said Vikes coach Dani Sinclair.
“Then we started to play good defence in the second half and Jenna Krug took over on offence.”
Krug, UVic’s outside sniper, hit for 22 points.
“We knew it was going to be hard because they were battling for their lives,” said Krug.
“But we finished strongly. We are a team that never gives up.”
Nicole Karstein had 14 points for UVic and Jenna Bugiardini 12. Kendall Lydon led the Griffins with 16 points.
Meanwhile, the host Lethbridge Pronghorns staged a withering rally and outscored the UVic Vikes men’s team 33-17 in the fourth quarter Saturday night for a 94-85 victory in the second game to sweep their bestof-three opening round Canada West playoff series 2-0.
UVic was leading 68-59 late in the third quarter, but could not withstand the unrelenting Pronghorns onslaught in the fourth quarter.
Hassan Abdullahi and Grant Sitton finished with 23 points each for UVic.
The Vikes were 9-11 in conference in the regular season and the Canada West 10th seed while Lethbridge was 13-7 and the fifth seed. The Pronghorns swept both regular-season, and now both playoff games, against the Vikes as UVic star senior Sitton’s U Sports career came to an end.