Ella Murphy Wiebe posted 15 points and nine rebounds in the Huskies' semifinal win over UBC. (Jacob Mallari/UBC Athletics Photo)

By Ryan Flaherty

gold medal rematch

Huskies advance to national final with dominant win over UBC

Mar 15, 2025 | 11:40 PM

The Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team will face the Carleton Ravens in the national championship game for a second straight year after defeating the UBC Thunderbirds in a wire-to-wire 85-63 semifinal victory on Saturday at Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver.

The Huskies raced out of the gates and never looked back, dispatching their Canada West rivals in a game that bore little resemblance to their come-from-behind conference final victory over UBC just one week prior. The rematch saw Saskatchewan control virtually every aspect of the game while showcasing their impressive depth. Five Huskies hit double digits in scoring led by graduating guard Andrea Dodig, who matched a career high with 19 points.

“The depth of this team is great. If you’re gonna go out and pressure someone, someone else is gonna go out there and score it. That’s what happened tonight,” Dodig said. “That’s what we need to do to get the job done and get to this national final and it’s great that everyone contributed.”

Just as they did in Thursday’s quarterfinal win over Alberta, the Dogs jumped out to a 14-point lead after one quarter, paced by seven points from Courtney Primeau. The Huskies also rediscovered their touch from long range, hitting a trio of three pointers in the opening period to surpass the two they made all game against the Pandas.

But unlike the tournament opener, the Huskies offence stayed hot all night long. They poured in 23 more points in the second quarter, with Ella Murphy Wiebe and Maya Flindall notching eight apiece and Murphy Wiebe adding six rebounds. The fourth-year forward from Saskatoon finished the night with 15 points and nine boards along with four steals and two blocks en route to being selected as Saskatchewan’s player of the game.

Listen" Coach's Show with Brandin Cote

Off to Ottawa

Mar 13, 2025

Ice Level Reaction

Huskies take home 2025 Canada West men's hockey banner with shutout win over Mount Royal

Mar 10, 2025

MRU pulls out OT thriller

Game two, in front of a record crowd, goes to extra-time

Mar 09, 2025

“I thought we learned a lot from playing them last week. We made some adjustments and were more effective handling the (defensive) pressure and not allowing them to slow us down,” head coach Lisa Thomaidis said.

Defensively, the Dogs were just as strong, holding a potent Thunderbirds attack to just 26.7 per cent shooting in the quarter and outrebounding them 24-11 in the opening half. Saskatchewan held a 49-27 lead at the break.

The Huskies stretched their advantage to 27 early in the third before UBC began to battle back, aided by a 7-0 run, but the Dogs responded by reeling off seven straight points of their own. The Thunderbirds replied with an 11-2 spurt, however Gage Grassick banked home a shot in the dying seconds to give the Huskies a 20-point cushion heading into the final frame.

UBC trimmed the gap to 17 early in the fourth but a Murphy Wiebe layup followed by eight straight points from Dodig including back-to-back triples would put the game out of reach for good.

“To have Andi play a game like that in this moment was amazing and Ella was tremendous. So impressive to see everyone playing at their best at the right time,” Thomaidis said.

Saskatchewan shot the ball at a 51.6 per cent clip on the night while going 7-16 from deep. UBC’s shooting improved in the second half but the Thunderbirds still finished the night at just 35 per cent from the field and 23.5 per cent from beyond the arc.

The Huskies will now battle the two-time defending national champion Ravens for the Bronze Baby trophy, one year after suffering a three-point loss to Carleton in the title game. The Ravens defeated the crosstown rival Ottawa GeeGees 84-60 in Saturday’s other semifinal.

“All of us are so hungry for that national championship and we’re going to put everything in it tomorrow,” Dodig said.

The title game tips off at 4 p.m. PDT/5 p.m. CST on Sunday. Fans can catch all the action on the free HuskieFAN app.

—

X: @RFlahertypxp