Photo credit: Electric Umbrella/Liam Richards/Huskie Athletics

By Ryan Flaherty

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Huskies smother Pandas to claim Canada West title

Feb 25, 2024 | 7:16 PM

The Huskies women’s basketball team is once again the best in the west.

Saskatchewan capped a dominant run at the Canada West championship tournament in Abbotsford, B.C. on Sunday with a 73-42 win over the Alberta Pandas in the final to claim its ninth conference title and sixth in the last nine years. In doing so the Huskies also avenged a home court loss to the Pandas in the conference semis last season.

Gage Grassick paced the Huskies with 28 points in the gold medal game while Carly Ahlstrom added 16 points and eight rebounds and Tea DeMong led a smothering defensive effort with nine steals and seven boards as Saskatchewan outscored Alberta 55-27 over the final three quarters.

The Pandas, who were looking to win back-to-back titles, traded buckets and leads with the Huskies throughout the opening frame but a Grassick three-pointer with under half a minute left put Saskatchewan in front 18-15 after one. The first team Canada West All-Star finished the day shooting 10-of-17 from the field including three of seven from beyond the arc.

Grassick’s triple sparked a 15-4 Huskies run through the midway mark of the second quarter. Alberta would briefly cut the lead down to nine but by halftime the Dogs held a 15-point advantage.

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A Jenna Harpe three got the Pandas back within a dozen to open the third quarter but the Huskies’ defence clamped down, preventing Alberta from gaining any offensive traction. While the Dogs weren’t exactly shooting the lights out themselves, their work on the glass helped generate numerous extra possessions and they slowly but steadily increased their lead to 20 points. A Maya Flindall banked-in three at the buzzer made it 60-37 Saskatchewan heading to the fourth quarter.

The Huskies defence took it from there, continuing to exert its will down the stretch and holding the Pandas to just five points over the final ten minutes to seal the victory.

Saskatchewan outrebounded Alberta 51-33 on the day and shot 38.4 per cent from the field compared to the Pandas’ 32 per cent rate. Alberta struggled mightily from the three-point line, making just two of 20 attempts, while the Huskies connected on nine of 32.

With the win, the Huskies will head to the U SPORTS national championship tournament in Edmonton — hosted by the University of Alberta — as either the number-one or number-two seed. Saskatchewan was ranked second in the nation entering the conference playoffs, and has only lost one game all year. The Huskies are seeking their third national title.

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On Saturday in Vancouver, the Huskies men’s volleyball team saw its season come to an end with a 3-1 loss to the UBC Thunderbirds in the second game of their best-of-three Canada West quarterfinal series. The Tbirds completed the sweep after winning the series opener in five sets.

Emmett Graham led the Huskies with 14 kills in the game two loss, Isaiah Mamer added 13 kills and Ethan Smith had 11 digs.

UBC will now visit the Alberta Golden Bears in one best-of-three semifinal series while the Trinity Western Spartans will host the Winnipeg Wesmen in the other semi.