Streak's alive at 35 for Simon Fraser Clan

by Mike Tucker, YVic Sports Info Archive photo courtesy SFU Athletics: The Clan's Laurelle Weigl began her final CIS season with a 15-point effort against the Vikes

VICTORIA - A 16-point effort from Kayla Dykstra was not enough to halt the Simon Fraser Clan's 34-game winning streak. The UVic Vikes women's basketball team endured a 61-49 loss to the defending CIS champs Saturday night.

Simon Fraser extended its win streak to 35 games after using a strong second half performance in the Canada West season opener. The Clan's last loss was exactly a year ago, when they suffered a 57-56 loss on Halloween night at McKinnon Gym.

SFU-UVic women's hoop boxscore

After a back and forth first half that featured 13 lead changes, the Clan exhibited championship form in the second half. The 2008 CIS Champs opened a 10-point lead near the end of the third, and went on an 8-0 run early in the fourth to assert control over the outcome.

"I thought we moved the ball well in the first quarter. We found the inside well and we spread the floor," said head coach Brian Cheng. "In the second half we came out unfocused and maybe our fatigue showed a little bit."

Dykstra's 16 points represented the game's high, which came on 8-12 shooting. The fourth year post from Calgary also contributed seven rebounds, as the Vikes owned a 42-40 advantage on the glass. Debbie Yeboah was the Vikes top rebounder with nine, also scoring eight points.

Laurelle Weigl accounted for the high output for Simon Fraser, finishing with 15 points and seven 'boards in just 24 minutes of playing time. However, the real story of the Clan's offence came off the bench as the reserve players outscored the starters 35-26. Rookie Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe netted 11 in her debut, while fellow frosh Carly Wyman added 10.

The Vikes have a two-week layover before resuming conference play on November 13-14, when McKinnon Gym hosts the Alberta Pandas and Saskatchewan Huskies. In the meantime, the Vikes will host their annual alumni game next Saturday at 5:00 p.m. PST.