BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Villa Maria College men's basketball team are set to travel for two away games this weekend and it starts with a visit to Vermont Tech on Friday, Jan. 10. The Vikings will follow that up with a game at NHTI Concord's Community College on Saturday, Jan. 11. Villa holds a record of 6-7 on the year.
USCAA Coaches Poll: The United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) released the Coaches Poll week 5 rankings on Thursday and the Vikings were in the top-15 for the first time all season. After receiving 110 votes, they are tied with Williamson College of the Trades for the no. 15 spot. This weekend Villa will take on two top-15 teams starting with Vermont Tech who is no. 11 and NHTI who is no. 6.
Last Time Out: The Vikings earned a 94-65 victory over Bryant and Stratton-Ohio. The team had a strong second half where they outscored the Bobcats 53-35.
Victor Fuller and
Raymond Sims led the way with 19 points each and Sims secured a double-double with 13 rebounds.
Trayvon Holt added 18 points in 26 minutes of action.
New Roles: A few Vikings have seen their role increase over the past few games. Fuller has averaged 35.5 minutes per game over the past two contests and his previous high was 17 minutes.
Jordan Heine has a similar increase with his minutes hitting 35.5 per game over the last two games.
Sims Finding His Groove: Sims has recorded a double-double in his last two games. In the battle against Kent State, he scored 24 points and collected 10 rebounds, while also tallying four steals. In the Monday win against the Bobcats, the sophomore contributed 19 points and collected 13 rebounds and three steals.
Looking Ahead: The Vikings have a string of road games coming up including the two this weekend. The team will then have an away game on Tuesday, Jan. 14 when they travel to Bryant and Stratton-Buffalo. A few days later, Villa will head to Fisher College on Friday, Jan. 17.
Be sure to stay up to date on all of your Vikings scores and awards by following @VillaVikings on Twitter and by liking the "Villa Maria Vikings" Facebook page.
