Mariners Win Last Game
The VIU Mariners claimed their only win at the nationals on Friday
Mariners Win Last Game
It wasn’t the national championship the PACWEST champion VIU Mariners were hoping for, but they were able to claim an 87-61 win in the CCAA Placement Game and finished in seventh place.
The game was close at halftime before Mariners started to pull away from the ACAA champion MSVU Mystics in the third, then used a strong fourth quarter to seal the deal.
Overall, they shot 36% from the field with Kaeleb Johnson exploding for 31 points off the bench on the strength of five-three pointers. Kai Leighton had a nice game with 18 points and Ryan Bastian added 12. Dan Zimmerman in his final collegiate game was a force on the glass pulling down 16 rebounds and had eight points.
The Mariners finish the nationals winning once in three tries. Their younger players gained valuable experience and will no doubt return hungry next season to get back to the national championship tournament.
They will now board the plane(s) and make the 5378 km trip back home to Nanaimo to prepare for finals in the classroom.