Huskies, unstoppable in USports opener
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Huskie coach Lisa Thomaidis has had an eventful week. After being named USports coach of the year on Wednesday, Thomaidis led her team to a dominant Thursday victory and a semi-final berth at the USports women’s basketball championships in Edmonton. Number one ranked Saskatchewan defeated the eighth seeded Calgary Dinos 85-54 in the third quarter-final of opening day.
The Huskies stormed out to a 41-16 half-time lead as third year guard, Gage Grassick of Prince Albert, led the green and white with 19 points. Fifth year forward, Carly Ahlstrom, poured in 16. The U of S had a 47.1 shooting percentage and forced 32 Calgary turnovers. Saskatchewan’s defense was solid, holding the opposition to just 22 in the paint points. The Dinos were 17 of 43 from the floor. Calgary was held scoreless for a seven-minute stretch in the second quarter.
The Huskies now face Laval in the semi-finals at 9 pm (Saskatchewan time) on Saturday night. The Rouge et Or defeated the host Alberta Pandas 65-57 in the final quarter-final of the evening. Léa-Sophie Verret had a game-high 18 points and made good on a big layup with a minute remaining.
The defending national champion Carleton Ravens advanced to the semi-finals with a 75-58 win over Fraser Valley, while last year’s runner-up, the Queen’s Gaels, defeated St. Mary’s 69-54. The Ravens and Gaels meet in the other final four match-up on Saturday at 7 pm at the Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton.
