Two teams that entered the weekend tied in the Canada West standings will exit in that exact same fashion after the visiting Victoria Vikes took down the Saskatchewan Huskies 94-74 inside the PAC.
The game was an important one in the conference standings as teams begin jockeying for playoff positioning with eight games left to play. The Huskies and Vikes remain locked in a three-way tie for fifth, alongside the Thompson Rivers WolfPack at 9-3.
It was Victoria taking advantage of their opportunities that made the difference in the contest as they scored 17 points off turnovers compared to the Huskies four, while also adding another 17 second-chance points.
Matthew Ellis of the Vikes went 10-13 from the floor to lead his team with an efficient 26 point effort. Not far behind Ellis was Scott Kellum who poured in 25 while Hayden Lejeune added 15.
JT Robinson led the Huskies with 26 points of his own while Alexander Dewar chipped in 11 and Maxwell Amoafo 10.
A back-and-forth first half saw Victoria edge their way out to an 11-point lead. Kellum had 14 points as the Vikes shot 44.4 per cent from the field while holding the Vikes to shooting just 10-27 in the opening 20 minutes.
Victoria increased that lead in the third and then were able to ride out the remainder of the game thanks in large part to 12 second-half points from Ellis and a strong defensive effort from throughout the lineup.
Next up for Victoria is a rivalry weekend home-and-home against the UBC Thunderbirds. For Saskatchewan, they will head East to face the Manitoba Bisons in Winnipeg.
