Box Score Lethbridge – With both teams looking to put an end to extended losing streaks, the visiting Victoria Vikes jumped out of the gate with a dominant 24-7 opening quarter and never looked back in a 77-56 victory over the Lethbridge Pronghorns.
 
The loss keeps the 'Horns still in search of their first win of the season, falling to 0-5, while the Vikes improve to 2-5 in Canada West play.
 
"It was a good battle by us tonight aside from a poor first quarter," said head coach Dave Adams. "24-7 is just too deep of a hole to crawl out of against a good Victoria team."
 
"I really liked our grittiness and persistence right to the end and we have a lot to build on for tomorrow."
 
Danielle Fritzke led the Pronghorns with 12 points and was the lone Pronghorn to hit double digits. Katie Keith, Elizabeth Buie and Lydia Strong each picked up eight points in the loss. Keith also had six rebounds to keep up the strong start to her university career.
 
For the Vikes, Jenna Bugiardini led all scorers with 22 points and completed a double-double with 10 rebounds, while Nicole Karstein also finished the night with a double-double, adding 14 points and 13 rebounds. Vikes leading scorer Amira Giannattasio also had a solid performance, chipping in with 18 points.
 
In a disastrous opening quarter for the Pronghorns, the 'Horns shot just 2 for 15 from the floor and were just never able to recover. Meanwhile the Vikes scored at will in that opening quarter and were 40% from the floor.
 
While the 'Horns had a better second quarter at both ends of the floor, they were unable to cut into the Vikes lead at all and trailed 43-25 at the half. The 'Horns finished the half only shooting 26.5% and were 5 for 14 from behind the arc. The Vikes continued their solid shooting and finished the half at 39.1%.
 
The second half saw much of the same, with the Vikes building their lead to as many as 29 points at the mid-point of the third quarter and to as many as 30 in the fourth before settling for the 21 point win.
 
The 'Horns did slightly improve their shooting percentage in the second half but finished the night only 28.8% from the field and were only 6 for 26 from long range. The Vikes were consistent all night and finished with a 40.3% shooting night and dominated the glass with a 59-33 rebound advantage.
 
Tomorrow night, the 'Horns and Vikes will conclude the weekend set, tip-off is set for 5:00pm and the game will also be streamed live on www.canadawest.tv, home of all Canada West webcasts.