Women's Weekend Recap: Old Habits Die Hard

The Mariners, eyeing sole possession of the PACWEST crown, looked to keep the ball rolling in the first installment of the Island Rivalry.

Friday - VIU 60, Camosun 40

As is tradition, Rogers TV took their yearly voyage up the Malahat to carry the game on Friday.

As is also tradition, the Mariners boasted superiority over their cousins to the south.

A 19-7 lead after the first quarter would've been enough of a cushion, especially for VIU's airtight defense, but an and-one layup from Kaia Simpson at the buzzer increased it even more, and the Mariners would never trail again.

Another buzzer beater from Kaia Simpson gave the Mariners just enough a large enough push to cruise to their seventeenth consecutive victory over the Chargers.

Kaia Simpson, Rachel Labrador, and Camosun's Jordyn Broekhuizen all tied for the game lead with 11 points. Simpson added seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Trista Thorn led VIU's starters with eight points and three steals.

Saturday - VIU 66, Camosun 47

Camosun kept it interesting this time around: They led on multiple occasions and dominated most of the first half, but they ran out of gas in the second. A bombardment of midrange shots and timely defense propelled the Mariners to sole possession of first place in an extremely tight PACWEST.

Trista Thorn and Sammy Shields led the way for VIU, combining for 34 points, eight rebounds, and five steals.

Kanda Diop's return to the starting lineup was disappointing. Camosun's star center only recorded four points and fouled out.

Maliyah Mendoza and Jordyn Broekhuizen once again shouldered the offensive load for the Chargers, combining for almost a third of Camosun's points with 15. Jayci Chase and Kaia Simpson recorded ten rebounds each, both coming one point shy of a double-double.

The Mariners, victors of eighteen straight against the Chargers and newly-appointed head of the PACWEST pecking order, come out of the holiday break with a long-awaited rematch with the defending national champions, the CBC Bearcats.