The UVic Vikes wasted a good opportunity at home last weekend. They’ll have a much tougher challenge this afternoon and Sunday as the men’s basketball team faces the host Manitoba Bisons in Canada West play in Winnipeg.
Swept by Thompson Rivers last weekend, the Vikes sit 6-6 on the season. They now face the 10-4 Bisons, who are on a five-game win streak, including a pair at home last weekend in which they scored 185 total points against Lethbridge, which was 10-2 prior to the matchup.
“It is a really tight conference race. We are trying to stay positive after the [past] weekend. You make your own breaks and, obviously, we didn’t do enough in the fourth quarter of both games,” head coach Craig Beaucamp said of the losses in which the Vikes failed to hang on to fourth-quarter leads.
“We played pretty solid basketball for at least six of the eight quarters and could have come away with two wins or earned a split. But instead, we came away with no wins. We are just trying to stay positive, get better in practice. And we had one of our best practices of the season [this week], so we are feeling good about that.”
Against the Bisons, the Vikes will face Justus Alleyn, whose 22.8 points per game has him sitting third in conference scoring. Manitoba has allowed an average of 73.7 points against per outing, the second fewest in Canada West, while the Vikes sit fifth at 77.1 against per game.
“Justus is a guy that is probably going to get his chances. We just have to make sure they are contested shots,” Beaucamp said. “He is going to find a way to get points. We just have to limit the rest of their group as much as we can. It’s the second and third scorers that hurt you more than the top guy.”
As for Dani Sinclair’s Vikes women’s team, they look to build off a pair of wins at home last weekend.
This week, it’s a matchup of two streaking teams as the 8-6 Bisons have won five straight and six of their last seven. The 8-4 Vikes have claimed four consecutive victories. Victoria has won the last 12 games between the two teams, dating back to the 2006-07 season.
“Going into their gym will be a good test for us,” Sinclair said. “They pose a problem with their overall size. They are long and athletic at a lot of positions. They can really get out in passing lanes defensively, so we will have to take care of the ball and also rebound well.”
Sinclair’s group will play at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. PST, respectively in the two games. The men will take to the floor at 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
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