| (2) | U.B.C. | 72 | ||||||
| (7) | Ottawa | 69 | U.B.C. | 65 | ||||
| (3) | Simon Fraser | 66 | Simon Fraser | 46 | U.B.C. | 60 | ||
| (6) | Memorial | 51 | ||||||
| —–BRITISH COLUMBIA | ||||||||
| (1) | Regina | 68 | ||||||
| (8) | Wilfrid Laurier | 52 | Regina | 90 | Regina | 53 | ||
| (4) | Winnipeg | 70 | Winnipeg | 77 | ||||
| (5) | Bishop’s | 62 |
In the quarterfinals, the 3rd-seeded Simon Fraser Clan clipped the 6th-seeded Cape Breton Capers 66-51 by hitting 11 from beyond the arc. The Clan took an early 17-6 lead before the Capers trapping defence trimmed the margin to 32-29 at the half. With SFU leading 40-36, UCCB’s Maureen Murrin had a three-point attempt rim out. The Clan then went on an 8-0 run to take command. “The reason it got so close was our own fault,” said Corrigal, whose team finished 11-20 from the arc. “We weren’t making good decisions with the ball. We started pulling away when we started making better decisions.” Cape Breton coach Fabian McKenzie called it a “disheartening” loss. “We’ve come from five years ago; our program was 1-and-19 when I took over. We had a goal to win the championship in five years in our league. Having never been here before, coming here was kind of our world. If we win that (first) game, it’s unbelievable and we can still make a run. It’s disheartening for the kids, but we’re still very proud of what they accomplished.” Dani Langford paced the Clan with 16 points on 4-6 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 8 assists and 4 steals. Morgan McLaughlin added 12 on 2-7 from the floor, 8-10 from the line, 11 boards and 2 blocks. Maren Corrigal scored 11 on 4-9 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc and 6 boards. Julia Wilson scored 10 on 3-11 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, 10 boards, 5 assists and 4 blocks. Kelsie Thu notched 7 on 2-3 from the arc. L. van den Boogaard added 6 off the bench on 2-4 from the arc. Jennifer MacLeod scored 4, while Jacquie Kenyon was scoreless. The Clan shot 18-47 (.383) from the floor, 11-20 (.550) from the arc and 19-26 (.731) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 17 assists, 22 turnovers, 6 blocks and 6 steals. Kelli McHugh paced Cape Breton with 17 points on 5-14 from the floor, 7-9 from the line, 7 boards, 4 assists and 5 steals. Heather Ross notched 13 on 5-10 from the floor, 4 assists and 2 steals. Cecilia Romero scored 10 on 4-12 from the floor and 4 boards. Kimberley Reynolds scored 5 on 1-6 from the arc, while Maureen Murrin scored 2 on 0-6 from the floor and 9 boards. Sharalee Dempster added 4 off the bench, while Tamara Alleyne and Sandra Ramos were scoreless. Cape Breton shot 16-52 (.308) from the floor, 2-12 (.167) from the arc and 17-23 (.739) from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 8 assists, 18 turnovers, 2 blocks and 13 steals. The Clan led 32-29 at the half.
The 2nd-seeded U.B.C. Thunderbirds nipped the 7th-seeded University of Ottawa Gee-Gees 72-69 after leading 37-29 at the half. U.B.C. led by 17 with 10 minutes to play before the Gee-Gees, making their first trip to nationals in the 33-year history of the school’s basketball program, exploded with a 16-2 run to trim the margin to three. UBC came back and mounted a seven-point lead with 1:19 left on a jumper in the paint from guard Carrie Watson, but three straight three-pointers, capped by a long-range bomb from Gee-Gees guard Kristen Moyle, made it a 70-69 game with 46 seconds left before a pair of free throws by rookie Erica McGuiness with 22 seconds left sealed Ottawa’s fate. “It’s a great accomplishment to get here, but it’s disappointing to lose, too,” said guard Moriah Trowell. “We know now we’re one of the best teams in the country. We can play with these girls, but it’s hard to come back when you’re that far down.” Ottawa led 29-25 before the Thunderbirds went on a 12-0 run to close out the first half. McGuinness paced the Thunderbirds with a career-high 25 points off the bench on 8-11 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc and 7-8 from the line. National defensive player of the year Carrie Watson scored 16 on 6-8 from the floor and 4 assists. Sheila Townsend notched 15 on 7-16 from the floor, 4 boards and 4 steals. Amanda Beers scored 7 on 3-9 from the floor and 4 boards. Kelsey Blair scored 5 on 2-5 from the floor and 10 boards. Kim Howe scored 2 and Tina Lum 2, while Cait Haggarty and Letah Beck were scoreless. U.B.C. shot 27-55 (.491) from the floor, 3-9 from the arc and 15-20 from the line, while garnering 31 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 14 fouls, 19 assists, 12 turnovers and 8 blocks. Moriah Trowell paced the Gee-Gees and was chosen player of the game with 18 points on 6-12 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 10 boards and 4 assists. Julie Rodrigue added 17 on 7-17 from the floor and 6 boards. Kristen Moyle scored 16 on 5-11 from the floor, 4-6 from the arc and 5 assists. Miranda Killam scored 6 on 3-3 from the floor and Natalie Johnston 4 on 2-4 from the floor. Veronique Martineau added 6 off the bench on 3-6 from the floor, while Cara Weiss scored 2. Hilary Foster was scoreless. The Gee-Gees shot 27-56 (.482) from the floor, 7-16 (.438) from the arc and 8-9 (.889) from the line, while garnering 27 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 12 turnovers, 1 block and 3 steals.
The 4th-seeded Winnipeg Wesmen dumped the 5th-seeded Bishop’s Gaiters 70-62 despite trailing 37-28 at the half. They opened the second frame with a 16-2 run to take command. JoAnne Wells led Winnipeg with 24 points on 9-17 from the floor, 6-6 from the line, 8 boards, 4 assists and 5 steals. Janet Wells added 18 on 9-12 from the floor and 4 boards. Sally Kaznica scored 13 on 4-7 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 6 boards, 8 assists and 2 steals. Kate Daniels scored 4 on 2-9 from the floor, while Uzo Asagwara scored 1 on 0-5 from the floor. Heather Thompson added 10 off the bench on 5-8 from the floor and 6 boards, while Stefanie Timmersman, Melanie Talastas and Jae Pirnie were scoreless. The Wesmen shot 29-60 (.483) from the floor, 3-11 (.273) from the arc and 9-11 (.818) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 19 assists, 15 turnovers, 2 blocks and 10 steals. Anouk Boulanger paced the Gaiters with 17 points on 6-15 from the floor, 3-10 from the arc, 3 boards, 3 assists and 5 steals. France Lanoie added 11 on 4-10 from the floor, 3-5 from the line and 4 boards. Jessica Koury scored 8 on 3-5 from the floor and 6 boards. Amelie Rousseau notched 3 on 1-7 from the arc, while Josianne Lafreniere scored 3 on 1-4 from the floor and 7 boards. Emilie Crofton notched 14 off the bench on 6-13 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 3 steals. Carly Clarke added 6 on 2-5 from the arc, while Christine Murphy was scoreless. Bishop’s shot 23-64 (.359) from the floor, 8-32 (.250) from the arc and 8-12 from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 24 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 13 assists, 18 turnovers, 2 blocks and 10 steals.
In the last quarterfinal, the top-seeded Regina Cougars dumped the 8th-seeded Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks 68-52 after leading 39-23 at the half. Guard Jana Schweitzer said the Cougars were fortunate. “The first thing I said after the game in our huddle for three cheers was, ‘We’ve got to play better’. We have to be way better on defence and way better executing our offence. (Friday’s effort) is not going to do it.” Regina head coach Jeff Speedy wasn’t overly pleased with his team’s play – but he wasn’t distraught, either. “We’re on the winner’s side, so I’ll take it,” he said. “At this time of year, you don’t worry about how you get it done. If we win 8- 7 (tonight), I’ll take it.” The Cougars looked solid in the first half Friday, hitting 15-26 from the floor while holding Laurier to 8-31. Regina led 39-23 at the break. The Cougars started well in the second half as well, limiting Laurier to 10 points in the first 12 minutes. From that point on, though, Regina’s defence sagged as the Golden Hawks drove to the basket time after time. “Our defence in the first 10 minutes of the second half was great,” said Speedy. “They had 33 points with eight minutes left in the game. Then there were a number of times where we lost defensive focus and that was very frustrating.” Guard Cymone Bouchard said “people just got unfocused, if you will. The fire wasn’t there when they realized we were up by a significant amount and (the Golden Hawks) took advantage. That takes away from the momentum that we can bring to the semi.”
“It’s a I, but at this time of year, you don’t care who you play,” he said. “We’re in a national semifinal. If you fast- forwarded from September to now and told me we’d be in a national semifinal, I could have cared less who we played. That’s where we are.” Jana Schweitzer paced the Cougars with 24 points on 6-10 from the floor, 11-13 from the line and 3 assists. Cymone Bouchard scored 19 on 8-12 from the floor, 3-5 from the line, 9 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Tara Crosson scored 11 on 4-7 from the floor and 7 boards. Lara Schmidt scored 2 on 2-2 from the line, while Leah Anderson scored 2 on 1-6 from the floor and 4 boards. Phoebe De Ciman added 6 off the bench on 3-6 from the floor and 7 boards. Laura Hunko scored 2, Leane Phillips 1 and Shannon Funk 1, while Danny Ash, Maja Kralovcova and Alexis MacDonald were scoreless. Regina shot 23-49 (.469) from the floor, 1-9 (.111) from the arc and 21-28 (.750) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 15 assists, 14 turnovers, 2 blocks and 3 steals. Sarah Zagorski paced the Golden Hawks with 12 points on 4-13 from the floor, 3-5 from the line and 3 assists. Meaghan McGrath scored 10 on 4-20 from the floor, 2-9 from the arc and 2 steals. Dee Channer notched 8 on 3-9 from the floor and 5 boards. Kerri Jilesen scored 4 on 2-7 from the floor and 4 boards. Robin Roszell scored 3 on 1-5 from the floor and 9 boards. Laura Taylor added 7 off the bench on 2-6 from the floor, 3-3 from the line and 4 boards. Rebecca Williams scored 3, Emily Conrad 2, Sarah Barnes 3 and Heather Sutherland 0. Laurier shot 19-66 (.288) from the floor, 5-18 (.278) from the arc and 9-13 (.692) from the line, while garnering 30 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 8 assists, 7 turnovers, 2 blocks and 7 steals.
In the semis, 2nd-seed British Columbia whipped 3rd-seeded Simon Fraser 65-46 after leading 28-20 at the half. Carrie Watson was chosen player of the game for the Thunderbirds, while Dani Langford earned the laurels for the Clan. Carrie Watson paced U.B.C. with 20 points on 6-7 from the floor, 8-8 from the line and 3 steals. Kelsey Blair scored 12 on 4-7 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, and 6 boards. Letah Beck scored 12 on 5-6 from the floor and 3 boards. Sheila Townsend notched 6 on 2-7 from the floor, 5 boards and 4 assists. Amanda Beers scored 5 on 2-2 from the floor. Erica McGuinness and Kim Howe each notched 4 off the bench, while Tina Lum scored 2. Cait Haggarty, Caitlyn Pankratz and Jane Meadwell were scoreless. The Thunderbirds shot 23-41 (.561) from the floor, 1-3 from the arc and 18-19 (.947) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 8 fouls, 13 assists, 14 turnovers, 1 block and 6 steals. Dani Langford, Maren Corrigal, Morgan McLaughlin and Jennifer MacLeod each scored 8 to pace Simon Fraser. Langford was 3-10 from the floor and dished 6 assists, while pilfering the ball 3 times. Corrigal was 4-7 from the floor and McLaughlin 4-5 from the floor while grabbing 6 boards. Julia Wilson scored 5 on 2-6 from the floor and Kelsie Thu 5 on 2-8 from the floor. MacLeod hit 3-5 off the bench. Jacquie Kenyon and Courtney Brown each scored 2, while Jennifer McElgunn and L. Van den Boogaard were scoreless. The Clan shot 20-48 (.417) from the floor, 2-14 (.143) from the arc and 4-6 from the line, while garnering 15 boards, including 4 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 13 assists, 12 turnovers, 4 blocks and 7 steals.
In the other semi, top-seeded Regina dumped Winnipeg 90-77 after leading 42-27 at the half on a 6-10 effort from the arc. The Canada West champions stretched their margin to 24 points in the second half and the closest Winnipeg got was 85-75 with 1:07 left. “It’s such a huge deal,” said Regina guard Cymone Bouchard. “Being ranked No. 1, we had a big X on our backs. We did not want to be an upset victim. We wanted to get there, we knew we could be there, and here we are.” Cymone Bouchard paced the Cougars with 31 points on 8-18 from the floor, 3-6 from the arc, 12-13 from the line, 4 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Phoebe De Ciman added 14 on 6-8 from the floor and 2-2 from the line. Jana Schweitzer scored 13 on 3-9 from the floor, 2-6 from the arc, 5-8 from the line, 8 boards, 8 assists and 3 steals. Lara Schmidt scored 13 on 5-10 from the floor, 3-3 from the arc, 5 boards and 4 assists. Leah Anderson notched 6 on 1-4 from the floor, 4-8 from the line and 5 boards. Tara Crosson added 6 off the bench on 3-6 from the floor. Danny Ashed scored 5 on 3-5 from the line, 5 boards and 5 assists, while Shannon Funk scored 2. The Cougars shot 28-58 (.483) from the line, 8-16 from the arc and 26-37 (.703) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 24 assists, 12 turnovers, 1 block and 8 steals. JoAnne Wells led the Wesmen with 30 points on 11-15 from the floor, 7-8 from the line, 5 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Uzo Asagwara added 15 on 5-11 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc, 3 assists and 2 steals. Sally Kaznica scored 9 on 3-10 from the floor and 8 assists. Kate Daniels notched 5 on 2-7 from the floor and Janet Wells 4 on 2-4 from the floor. Heather Thompson notched 7 off the bench on 3-9 from the floor and 9 boards. Melanie Talastas scored 5 on 2-4 from the floor, and Stefanie Timmersman 2. Jae Pirnie was scoreless. The Wesmen hit 29-62 (.468) from the floor, 7-18 (.389) from the arc and 12-18 from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 27 fouls, 18 assists, 16 turnovers, 4 blocks and 6 steals.
In the bronze medal match, Winnipeg defeated Simon Fraser 65-62 to win its third national medal in three seasons. They’d captured silver a year earlier and bronze two years prior. Wesmen coach Tanya McKay said her troops were determined to end the season on a high note after losing to Regina in the semis. ““I’m really proud of these kids. They turned it around after losing (Saturday) and they showed a lot of pride and courage and character coming on the floor.” After trailing 35-30 at the half, Simon Fraser came back to take the lead for the first time in the second half at 51-50 with 7:21 left. Over the next three minutes the Clan extended its lead to 59-52 with four minutes to play. The Clan turned promptly turned the ball over on four consecutive possession and JoAnne Wells and Heather Thompson responded with 11 unanswered points to give Winnipeg a 63-59 lead with 29 seconds to play. Simon Fraser guard Kelsey Thu hit a trey to cut the margin to 63-62 with 16 seconds to play. Wells hit the front end of a one-and-one and then the Clan turned the ball over again when Laura van den Boogard bounded the ball off her foot at a drive into the paint. Heather Thompson each hit a free throw and then Dani Langford bounced a 25-footer off the rim in an attempt to force overtime. Clan coach Bruce Langford said that “we played well for most of the game and allowed them back in it at the end in a way that we shouldn’t have. … If you turn the ball over, you can’t make baskets.” Heather Thompson paced Winnipeg with 22 points on 8-19 from the floor, 6-10 from the line and 12 boards. JoAnne Wells scored 20 on 4-9 from the floor, 12-12 from the line, 9 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Janet Wells notched 9 on 3-10 from the floor and 6 boards. Sally Kaznica scored 5 on 2-9 from the floor and 2 assists, while Kate Daniels scored 2 on 1-5 from the floor and 3 boards. Uzo Asagwara added 7 off the bench on 3-7 from the floor, while Stefanie Timmersman, Melanie Talastas and Jae Pirnie were scoreless. The Wesmen shot 21-62 (.339) from the floor, 8-22 (.222) from the arc and 21-26 (.808) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 11 assists, 13 turnovers, 2 blocks and 6 steals. Morgan McLaughlin paced the Clan with 17 points on 8-13 from the floor and 8 boards. Kelsie Thu scored 13 on 5-17 from the floor and 3-10 from the arc. Julia Wilson notched 11 on 4-9 from the floor. 3-4 from the line, 10 boards, and 5 assists. Dani Langford scored 6 on 2-5 from the floor and 10 assists. Maren Corrigal scored 3 on 1-9 from the floor. Jennifer MacLeod and L. van den Boogaard each scored 6 off the bench, while Jacquie Kenyon and Courtney Brown were scoreless. The Clan shot 23-59 (.390) from the field, 8-22 (.364) from the arc and 8-9 (.889) from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 20 assists, 18 turnovers, 5 blocks and 4 steals.
In the final, the U.B.C. Thunderbirds captured their first national crown in 30 years by upsetting the top-seeded Regina Cougars 60-53. The Birds had last won the crown in 1974, also in Winnipeg. National coach of the year Deb Huband was left beaming. “When you know some of the background, the length of time and the fact the last national championship won by UBC was actually in Winnipeg, it makes for a very interesting story. We knew this game would be a battle. We were outplayed by Regina the previous two meetings (this season). But that was in the past and we saw this as a new opportunity.” The Cougars had pounded the Thunderbirds 73-36 in the Canada West final but U.B.C. made it clear from the start that they wouldn’t be pushed around as easily in the national final. The teams traded the lead in the first half as UBC built a 29-25 lead heading into the lockers. Regina led 46-45 midway through the second half, when U.B.C. exploded for a decisive 10-0 run. The Cougars never got closer than six. Regina coach Jeff Speedy noted that his squad’s (34-5) season was nothing to sneeze at. “We won the toughest conference in Canada and got a silver medal out of it. It’s a little disappointing, but there aren’t too many teams that had better seasons. … It’s a missed opportunity. That team played better than us today and they did it on a day when whoever happened to win the game was declared national champion.” The victory was UBC’s first over the Cougars in three games this season. “They made a few adjustments today,” said Regina post Phoebe De Ciman. “I take my hat off to UBC. They’re a good team, they’re the national champions right now, but I think we gave it to them because we didn’t play the way we can. This was our game from the beginning, but you can’t just walk in and, because you’re the favourite, expect to win. We should have played as the underdogs and we didn’t.” The Cougars were tentative, attempting just 24 shots in the first half, while allowing UBC to freely drive the paint. “We played out of fear of not losing. We were waiting for someone to turn it up a notch and we didn’t do it ourselves. UBC took it at us hard and did what we usually do to other teams.” Jana Schweitzer added that “we didn’t have execution on offence or defence. We’d have moments of brilliance. We would be on a 4-0 run and then we would do something stupid. Our heads just weren’t in it. Maybe it was fatigue or nerves because it was on TV. I don’t have the answer. I want the answer, but I don’t have it. … To see them raising that banner was probably the worst thing. Cymone (Bouchard) and I said at the beginning of the year that we wanted to be the ones raising that banner. We won at Canada West, but we said that one wasn’t what we wanted. This was.” Tournament MVP Carrie Watson said the fact the Thunderbirds hadn’t won a title in 30 years didn’t cross their minds. “We didn’t even really know about a lot of the history until last night. It didn’t really come into play at all. We just knew we were playing a great team.” Bouchard said “we played on our heels most of the game. They attacked us. We were passive on offence and on defence. We came out nervous. People weren’t looking to score and were getting beat on defence. It was like, ‘My God, it’s the national final,’ and lots of our girls – tons of them – haven’t played in it or experienced it before.” Cougars coach Jeff Speedy said “I was more disappointed than mad. I was disappointed for our program, disappointed for our fans and disappointed for the fifth-year players (Bouchard, Crosson and De Ciman) because they definitely won’t get another chance at this. You just never know when you’re going to be in the final. This is the seventh or eighth trip for the Cougars to nationals since the early ‘90s and they’ve only been in two or three finals. Just because you get to go to nationals doesn’t mean you get to be in the final.” For Bouchard, knowing UBC was getting the banner and trophy she wanted so desperately led to a natural response. “You just cry,” she said. “There’s nothing you can do. You just go, ‘Crap, I wish that was me.’ Erica McGuinness paced the Thunderbirds with 17 points off the bench on 6-10 from the floor and 5-6 from the line. Carrie Watson scored 16 on 7-12 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 3 steals. Kelsey Blair scored 12 on 5-8 from the floor and 7 boards. Sheila Townsend scored 4 on 2-13 from the floor, 5 boards and 4 assists. Letah Beck scored 2 on 1-3 from the floor, while Amanda Beers was scoreless while grabbing 3 boards. Kim Howe added 5 off the bench on 2-3 from the floor. Cait Haggarty scored 3 and Tina Lum 1. The Thunderbirds shot 24-52 (.462) from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 11-19 (.579) from the line, while garnering 26 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 13 assists, 14 turnovers and 9 steals. Cymone Bouchard paced the Cougars with 23 points on 10-15 from the floor, 2-3 from the line, 5 boards and 2 steals. Phoebe De Ciman added 12 points on 6-9 from the floor and 5 boards. Jana Schweitzer scored 9 on 2-9 from the floor, 4 boards and 4 assists. Lara Schmidt scored 3 on 1-6 from the floor, while Leah Anderson scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 8 boards. Tara Crosson and Shannon Funk each added 2 off the bench, while Danny Ash was scoreless. The Cougars shot 22-48 (.458) from the floor, 1-12 (.083) from the arc and 8-11 (.727) from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 10 assists, 20 turnovers, 2 blocks and 7 steals.
The all-tourney team featured: MVP Carrie Watson (UBC); Sheila Townsend (UBC); Cymone Bouchard (Regina); Morgan McLaughlin (Simon Fraser); JoAnne Wells (Winnipeg); and Anouk Belanger (Bishop’s).
The bronze medalist Winnipeg Wesmen: Kate Daniels; JoAnne Wells; Sally Kaznica; Janet Wells; Uzo Asagwara; Heather Thompson; Stefanie Timmersman; Melanie Talastas; Jae Pirnie; Val Carson; Kristine Zatorsky; Michelle Roots; Lindsay de Leeuw;
The silver medalist Regina Cougars: Cymone Bouchard, Leah Anderson; Phoebe De Ciman; Jana Schweitzer; Lara Schmidt; Laura Hunko; Tara Crosson, Danny Ash; Leane Phillips; Shannon Funk; Maja Kralovcova; Alexis MacDonald; Janel Walker; Erica Schmidt; coach Jeff Speedy
The champion University of British Columbia Thunderbirds: Sheila Townsend; Carrie Watson; Kim Howe; Kelsey Blair; Amanda Beers; Erica McGuinness; Cait Haggarty; Letah Beck; Tina Lum; Jane Meadwell; Caitlyn Pankratz; coach Deb Huband