Ben Chessor
The Navigator
After finishing the first semester with a record of 8-0, the Mariners women’s basketball team continued their dominance to start the second semester. VIU collected wins in both games played over the weekend, improving their flawless record of 10-0 in the season.
The Mariners made their first game back from the break a successful one on January 10 against the Columbia Bible College Bearcats. VIU dominated the game from start to finish, picking up a 75-34 victory. The 41 point margin of victory is the largest for the Mariners this season.
The next day, January 11, the Mariners were back in action again. Their opponent was the Kwantlen University Eagles. The Eagles managed to keep the Mariners under control and keep the game close, but VIU eventually prevailed by a score of 67-44.
With the perfect record, the Mariners sit alone in top spot in the PacWest standings, four points behind second place Quest University Kermodes, who have a record of 8-2. Camosun sits in third place with a record of 7-3, six points back on VIU. The Mariners are also ranked fourth on the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association’s list of the top 15 collegiate women’s basketball teams in Canada. Quest and Camosun are ranked 13 and 14 respectively.
This weekend, the Mariners will play their first home games of 2014. On January 24, VIU takes on Douglas College at 6pm. On January 25, the Mariners take on Langara at 1pm. For more information on the Mariners and their schedule, visit mariners.viu.ca.
The Mariners also received great off-court news on January 15 when it was announced that VIU would be the host school for the 2015 CCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship. The tournament will run from March 19-21 2015 in the Mariners home gym. As tournament hosts, the Mariners automatically gain a spot amongst the other seven teams from around Canada.
The Mariners are also hoping to earn a spot in this year’s CCAA championship, which runs from March 12-15 at Champlain College St. Lambert in St. Lambert, Quebec.