Host Mohawk falls to VIU Mariners at women’s college basketball nationals

The Mohawk Mountaineers fell 81-53 to the Vancouver Island University Mariners in their first game of the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association women's basketball championship Wednesday.

From Nanaimo, B.C., VIU - the Pacific Western Athletic Association champions - went into the matchup with a 19-2 record while 5-13 Mohawk gained a berth as tournament hosts.

The loss means Mohawk plays the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens in a bronze quarter-final Thursday at 3 p.m.

In other games Wednesday, the Geants de Saint-Jean defeated the Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics 84-71; the Humber Hawks downed the Augustana Vikings 84-63 and the Dawson College Blues defeated Red Deer 68-51.

The championship game, at Mohawk's David Braley Athletic and Recreation Centre, is Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

John Rennison is a Hamilton-based photojournalist at The Spectator. Reach him via email: jrennison@thespec.com