WINDSOR, Ont. (CIS) –
Liz Boag (Kingston, Ont.) had 18 points but it wasn't enough as the No. 3 ranked Saskatchewan Huskies held off the upstart No. 6 Queen's Gaels, to win quarter-final match 61-52 at the ArcelorMittal Dofasco CIS women's basketball championship
on Friday afternoon at the St. Denis Centre.
CHAMPIONSHIP WEBSITE:
http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/wbkb/index
The Canada West champions will move on to the national semi-finals
on Saturday afternoon where they will take on the AUS banner-winners from Saint Mary's. The Huskies, making their sixth appearance in the championships in the last seven years, had their best finish as the CIS finalists back in 2011, the last time the Bronze Baby was awarded at the University of Windsor.
Trulsrud was 7-of-12 from the field, and added a game-best 15 rebounds to record the weekend's first double-double. Kabree Howard tallied 12 points while Dalyce Emmerson garnered 11 rebounds for Saskatchewan.
Queen's, who are returning the national spotlight after a 10-year absence from the CIS championships, was led by stand-out guard Liz Boag who grabbed a team-best 18 points for the Gaels, who fell in the OUA Finals last weekend to No. 1 Windsor.
"I'm not surprised at all by how close this game was. I have so much respect for (Queen's head coach) Dave (Wilson) and his program. They're a team that puts a lot of pressure on you, they're relentless," said Saskatchewan head coach Lisa Thomaidis. "I'm proud of the way our team managed to stay in the game and grind out this win. We showed a lot of character today."
Wilson, in his 32nd season at the helm of the Gaels, thought his team was a few possessions away from pulling off the upset.
"We had a number of opportunities to build the lead substantially and couldn't capitalize on that and we couldn't keep the pace that we would have liked to have kept in that fourth quarter. This has been a team of character all year and they have a lot of pride in the efforts they put into the game so they will come out very hard tomorrow and we will give Alberta all that they can handle."
The second quarter-final of the day got off to a torrent start as both squads began with high-pace tempos offensively. Back-to-back three's by Kiera Lyons and Riley Humbert of Saskatchewan was answered with two long-rangers by Boag early on.
The Huskies turned over the ball on three-straight possessions midway through the quarter, and the Gaels took a slight 10-8 lead. However, Kabree Howard responded with a bucket and made foul shot for a three-point play to put Saskatchewan back in front. Trulsrud hit a three and Antoinette Miller drained two of her free throws after the Gaels moved into the penalty with their fifth foul of the period.
However, Boag continued to carry her squad through the opening quarter, taking the ball end-to-end and finishing with a running floater down the middle of the key. The Kingston, Ont. native finished with 10 points in the first quarter but her team faced an 18-15 deficit heading after 10 minutes of play.
The Gaels tightened up defensively in the first few minutes of the second, holding Saskatchewan pointless in the opening minutes. A three-pointer from Jenny Wright at the 7:01 mark was followed by a Gemma Bullard jumper off the glass, putting the Gaels up by four.
Meanwhile, the Huskies picked up their first points of the second after a 5:12 drought as Trulsrud hit a running lay-up while taking a foul. After she made her free-throw Antoinette Miller penetrated through the Gaels defence for an athletic lay-in to help awaken the Saskatchewan offence. A three-pointer by Howard and running jumper by Trulsrud briefly restored the Canada West silver-medallist's lead.
However, Boag persevered, using her speed to earn another trip to the foul-line while picking up two points. The OUA first-team all-star led all players with 13 points at halftime, helping the Gaels to a 31-28 lead through two quarters of play.
Abby Dixon gave Queen's a six-point advantage midway through the third-quarter with her first points of the game, a basket from beyond the arc. The North Vancouver, BC product then scored on an open lay-up following a quick transition play from the Gaels.
The OUA finalists were looking to extend their lead late in the third, as they held the ball on one sole possession for the final 2:12 of the period. After a strange series of events, including five offensive boards, a Saskatchewan foul and kick-ball as well as a jump-ball which went the way of the Gaels, Emily Hazlett hit a jumper with two seconds remaining to give Queen's a 43-37 lead at the end of three quarters.
Trulsrud brought the Huskies back to within a single possession after hitting a contested lay-up. The Saskatoon, Sask. native sank two foul shots as the momentum started to swing in Saskatchewan's favour. A strong rejection from Dalyce Emerson led to a Riley Humbert basket that gave the Huskies their first lead of the second half.
Trulsrud continued her strong play late in the game, stealing a Queen's pass attempt before Miller hit a tough jumper with the shot clock running out, extending Saskatchewan's lead. After a Gaels miss, Howard converted two free throws with just over 30 seconds remaining.
Wright and Boag both missed the target on their long-range attempts in an effort to bring the Gaels within striking distance, allowing the Huskies to pull away for the victory and clinch a berth in the semi-finals Saturday.
No. 2 Saint Mary's and No. 3 Saskatchewan will do battle for a berth in the CIS Finals tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on Sportsnet 360 and at www.CIS-SIC.tv.
The Gaels will take on the Alberta Pandas in the consolation semi-finals Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. That match will be available live at CIS-SIC.tv.
STAT LEADERS
Boxscore: STATS
SSK 18-10-9-24: 61
QNS 15-16-12-9: 52
Saskatchewan
Points: Kelsey Trulsrud (22), Kabree Howard (12), Antoinette Miller (11)
Rebounds: Kelsey Trulsrud (15), Dalyce Emmerson (11)
Assists: Kabree Howard (7)
Player of the game: Kelsey Trulsrud
Queen's
Points: Liz Boag (18), Jenny Wright (12)
Rebounds: Gemma Bullard (7), Jenny Wright (6)
Assists: Liz Boag (2)
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE & RESULTS (all times EASTERN TIME)
Friday, March 14
13:00 Quarter-final 1: Saint Mary's 71, Alberta 51
15:00 Quarter-final 2: Saskatchewan 61, Queen's 52
18:00 Quarter-final 3: No. 8 Wilfrid Laurier vs. No. 1 Windsor (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
20:00 Quarter-final 4: No. 5 Fraser Valley vs. No. 4 McGill (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
Saturday, March 15
10:00 Consolation 1: No. 7 Alberta vs. No. 6 Queen's (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
12:00 Consolation 2: Loser QF 3 vs. Loser QF 4 (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
15:00 Semifinal 1: No. 2 Saint Mary's vs. No. 3 Saskatchewan (Sportsnet 360 / www.CIS-SIC.tv *)
17:00 Semifinal 2: Winner QF 3 vs. Winner QF 4 (Sportsnet 360 / www.CIS-SIC.tv *)
Sunday, March 16
15:00 5th Place (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
17:00 Bronze (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
20:00 Final (Sportsnet 360 / www.CIS-SIC.tv *)
* The webcast of all 3 televised games (semifinals & final) will be on pay-per-view basis.
