2006-07 St. John’s – uSports women

(1)	U.B.C.	77
(8)	Dalhousie	88	Dalhousie	52
(4)	McMaster	67	Simon Fraser	78	Simon Fraser	72
(5)	Simon Fraser	84
							—–SIMON FRASER
(2)	Alberta	71
(7)	Laval	67	Alberta	79	Alberta	68
(3)	York	57	Memorial	60
(6)	Memorial	67

        In the quarterfinals, held at Memorial in St. John’s, the 8th-seeded Dalhousie Tigers stunned the top-seeded defending champ University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 88-77. The Atlantic runners-up pulled ahead 29-28 on an April Scott three-pointer with around five minutes remaining in the first half and never relinquished the lead. Eight-seeded Dalhousie carried a 39-34 edge into the locker room, led 62-57 after three quarters, and fended off a late rally from the top-ranked T-Birds, who cut the deficit to 71-70 with 4:45 to play. The Tigers called timeout after Leanne Evans capped a quick 7-0 run with a short jump shot, then rattled off a 7-0 run of their own out of the huddle to effectively bury UBC at 78-70. Dalhousie hit all their free throws down the stretch and went 27-of-29 from the line in the game, compared to just 11-for-20 for UBC. They were also the tougher team on the boards, outmuscling the T-Birds to the tune of a 39-28 rebounding edge, 16 of those on the offensive glass. “We were a bit off today,” said UBC head coach Deb Huband. “They definitely won the battle on the boards; they were physically tougher than us, and the way the game was played we had a hard time adjusting to that.” On numerous occasions, Dalhousie came up with loose balls to gain a second life on the offensive end – three times after blocked shots by Evans – and each time it seemed like they made UBC pay. After the T-Birds shaved the lead down to 51-47, Brittany Sullivan nailed a three-pointer on a second chance attempt, then it was Sullivan again hitting a second-chance triple from the left corner to make it 76-70 with around two-and-a-half minutes remaining. “It seemed like the whole game we were trying to climb uphill,” said Huband. “Nothing was going smoothly for us. We weren’t able to do the things that we wanted to do and Dalhousie did a great job dictating the game and they were deserving of the win.” Dalhousie coach Carolyn Savoy said “I’m really proud of my players. “We played as a team all year and simply did the same today. We executed well, played solid defense, rebounded well, created turnovers. That’s our game. I’d say the main difference today was definitely our rebounding and free-throw shooting. When you hit 93 percent of your free throws, that’s obviously going to help you.” Huband noted that “we were a bit off this afternoon, they (Dalhousie) definitely won the battles on the boards. “They were physically tougher than us and the way the game was played, we had a hard time adjusting to that. It seems like the whole game we were trying to climb uphill, nothing was going smoothly for us. Dalhousie did a great job at dictating the game.” With the game tied at 19-19 after the first quarter, Dalhousie opened a five-point lead, at 33-28, with just over three minutes to go in the opening half and would stay ahead for the remainder of the contest, going into the locker room with a 39-34 advantage. The Tigers led 62-57 after three periods and 71-63 with seven minutes to go in the game but saw UBC go on a seven-point run to make it 71-70 with 4:44 on the clock. This is as close as the defending champions would get. Dalhousie responded immediately with a seven-point run of its own, including a key three-pointer by rookie guard Brittany Sullivan all but putting the game away at 78-70. UBC had to take a number of fouls in the last two minutes but, as they had been all day, the Tigers were money from the line, sinking eight consecutive free throws in the final 68 seconds to seal the victory. April Scott paced Dalhousie with 20 on 6-11 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 6-6 from the line and 4 boards. Alex Legge added 15 on 5-10 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, 7 boards and 4 assists. Kelly Donald notched 14 on 2-14 from the floor, 10-10 from the line, 7 assists and 2 steals. Laurie Girdwood scored 11 on 4-9 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 12 boards. Kathleen McNeil scored 11 on 4-9 from the floor, 3-3 from the line, 10 boards, 5 assists and 3 steals. Brittany Sullivan scored 7 on 2-2 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Leah Girdwood added 4, Rachel Harrison 4 and Tamara Mijatovic 2, while Abby Jacob was scoreless. The Tigers shot 28-66 (.424) from the floor, 5-8 (.625) from the arc and 27-29 (.931) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 19 assists, 15 fouls, 15 turnovers, 11 steals and 3 blocks. Kelsey Blair paced the Thunderbirds with 22 on 10-16 from the floor, 2-5 from the line, 11 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals. Cait Haggerty added 16 on 6-12 from the floor, 4-7 from the arc and 8 assists. Megan Pinske scored 10 on 4-7 from the floor and 2-3 from the arc. Erica McGuinness notched 10 on 2-11 from the floor, 6-8 from the line and 6 assists. Kim Howe scored 8 on 3-10 from the floor and 4 boards. Leanne Evans notched 6 on 3-3 from the floor. Julie Little scored 3 and Kaitlin Ward 2, while Caitlyn Pankratz, Candace Morrisset and Devon Lisson were scoreless. U.B.C. shot 30-64 (.469) from the floor, 6-13 (.462) from the arc and 11-20 (.550) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 28 assists, 12 fouls, 17 turnovers, 6 steals and 5 blocks.

        The 5th-seeded Simon Fraser Clan rolled to an easy 84-67 win over the 4th-seeded McMaster Marauders. ”We came out with a lot of energy and confidence today. We knew we needed to put a full game together,” said fourth-year guard Lani Gibbons. “When you get that kind of effort under the boards, like Julia (Wilson) did for us today, it completely changes the game.” Coach Bruce Langford noted that 6-3 forward Julia Wilson “had a tremendous first half for us. We didn’t play her much in the second half in order to keep her fresh for the next rounds, but to grab over 10 boards in one half is pretty special.” McMaster coach Theresa Burns said “we had a lot of problems with their size, they completely dominated the boards. We just had too many defensive breakdowns. We’ve been able to hold teams to around 50 points all year. Obviously, this is the nationals and we weren’t expecting to hold SFU to 50 points but … they have so many weapons, if you have this many breakdowns against a team like this, they’ll make you pay.” The Clan jumped out to a 29-17 advantage after the first quarter and never looked back, taking a 40-29 lead into the locker room at the half and leading 65-41 after 30 minutes of play. Simon Fraser put the game away with three minutes to play in the third quarter when back-to-back three-pointers by Kelsie Thu and Tindle opened a 25-point gap, at 60-35. The Clan would lead by as much as 27 points two minutes into the final period following a Gibbons basket. Lisa Tindle paced Simon Fraser with 16 on 5-7 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 3-4 from the line. Kate Hole added 13 on 4-8 from the floor, 5-7 from the line and 6 boards. Laurelle Weigl notched 12 on 4-7 from the floor, 4-5 from the line and 3 boards. Julia Wilson scored 12 on 4-12 from the floor, 4-6 from the line and 16 boards. Lani Gibbons notched 11 on 3-10 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 3-6 from the line, 5 boards and 9 assists. Robyn Buna scored 8 on 3-5 from the floor. Kelsie Thu notched 6 on 1-6 from the arc and 3-4 from the line. Courtney Gerwing added 4 and Courtney Brown 2, while Brea McLaughlin, Matteke Hutzler and Laura Van Den Boogaard were scoreless. The Clan shot 26-64 (.406) from the floor, 8-20 (.400) from the arc and 24-36 (.667) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, including 14 on the offensive glass, 21 assists, 15 fouls, 14 turnovers, 7 steals and 3 blocks. Taylor

Smith paced McMaster with 15 on 5-13 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 3-3 from the line and 5 assists. Lindsay DeGroot added 13 on 5-15 from the floor, 3-3 from the line and 10 boards. Julia Critchley notched 12 on 3-8 from the floor, 6-6 from the line and 6 boards. Chiara Rocca scored 10 on 4-14 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 3 blocks. Deanna Hollinger scored 9 on 3-8 from the floor, 3-4 from the line, 6 boards and 6 assists. Cari te Boekhorst scored 8 on 3-5 from the floor and 2-2 from the arc. Amanda Dortenzio, Jenna Garbaty, Sara Pilon-Bignell, Alana Veerman and Alicia Fidanza were scoreless. The Marauders shot 23-72 (.319) from the floor, 4-11 (.364) from the arc and 17-18 (.944) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 21 assists, 24 fouls, 13 turnovers, 7 steals and 4 blocks.

        The 2nd-seeded Alberta Pandas edged the 7th-seeded Laval Rouge et Or 71-67. The Pandas jumped out to a 27-6 lead in the first quarter before seeing the Quebec champions come all the way back to within two points with five second left in the contest. “The first win at nationals is always the toughest one to get,” said first-year Alberta bench boss Scott Edwards, named CIS coach of the year on Thursday night. “Laval started to get more comfortable as the game went on but fortunately, we were able to do enough to hold them off. I think our depth was a big factor tonight. We have played 12-deep all year and we thought coming in this could give us of a slight edge against Laval.” Third-year forward Kristin Jarock, chosen player of the game, said “we didn’t play our best today. We’ll have to step up our game tomorrow. We played well at points but we’ll have to make sure we come up with a 40-minute effort in the semi-finals.” Laval coach Linda Marquis said “our youth was exposed in the first quarter. There was obvious stress at the start of the game and the early deficit took the girls out of their comfort zone. Even when we started getting closer late in the first half, we were rushing things, not making the best decisions. I’m very proud of the way we fought until the end. That’s what I want the girls to build on.” Leading 27-8 after the opening quarter, Alberta retreated to the locker room with a 42-29 advantage. Laval kept grinding away at the lead and found itself only six points back, at 50-44, after 30 minutes of play. A pair of free throws by Rouge et Or second-team All-Canadian freshman Marie-Michelle Genois cut the gap to four points (50-46) in the opening moments of the fourth stanza but the Pandas responded with a six-point run a few moments later to bring their lead back to 11 points, at 58-47. A trio of three-pointers in the final minute kept Laval in the match, including an acrobatic shot by Mandeville that made it 69-67 with five seconds left. The Rouge et Or sent Panda forward Carly McLennan to the line and the fourth-year senior made her two free throws to seal the victory. Michelle Smith paced Alberta with 15 on 3-9 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 4 boards and 5 assists. Patricia Ariss added 14 on 7-15 from the floor and 7 boards. Kristin Jarock added 11 on 4-6 from the floor, 3-5 from the line and 5 boards. Ashley Wigg added 8 on 3-5 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 7 assists and 2 steals. Carly Mclennan notched 7 on 7-8 from the floor. Kara Stevens scored 6 on 3-8 from the floor and 3 boards. Michelle Anderson scored 5 on 1-4 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 5 boards. Emily Bolduc added 2, Katie Barrett 2 and Meghan Knowles 1, while Alysia Rissling was scoreless. The Pandas shot 22-58 (.379) from the floor, 2-13 (.154) from the arc and 25-31 (.806) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 21 assists, 22 fouls, 18 turnovers, 4 steals and 1 block. Myriam Lamarre paced Laval with 21 on 6-10 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 7-8 from the line, 7 boards and 3 steals. Patricia Mandeville added 12 on 4-9 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 2-3 from the line, 4 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks. Marie-Michelle Genois notched 9 on 1-12 from the floor, 7-8 from the line and 5 boards. Veronique Lamarre scored 9 on 3-12 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 2-3 from the line. Karine Bibeau notched 8 on 2-6 from the floor, 4-4 from the line and 3 boards. Chantale Vachon-Marceau notched 6 on 2-8 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards and 6 assists. Marie-Eve Douville scored 2, while Nadia Askerow and Genevieve Blanchette were scoreless. The Rouge et Or hit 19-60 (.317) from the floor, 6-18 (.333) from the arc and 23-28 (.821) from the line, while garnering 26 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 27 fouls, 17 turnovers, 9 steals and 3 blocks.

        In the last quarterfinal, the 6th-seeded host Memorial Sea-Hawks dumped the 3rd-seed York Lions 67-57 before 2,000 rabid fans at Memorial Field House. Whether it was the intensity of the hometown crowd, the Sea-Hawks’ full-court defence or a sense of first-game jitters, the Lions started scoreless in the opening four minutes, missing their first seven attempts from the floor. Down 15-4 with 3:20 to play, York went on an 8-2 run to get back into the contest. Emily Van Hoof was a presence coming off the bench, dominating the paint, while picking up six points in the quarter. In the second, the Lions gave up five quick points after a steal and easy lay-in by AUS Player of the Year Katherine Quackenbush and a three-point play by Melissa Prunty to put the Sea-Hawks ahead by 12. Spurred on by a Laura MacCallum triple and six points from Van Hoof, the Lions pulled even late in the half. Over the final minute, the teams exchanged three-balls to go to halftime tied 29-29. Despite the momentum, York could not regain the same spark in the third quarter. In fact, it was an ice-cold 10 minutes that proved to be the Achilles heel for the Lions as they only managed six points on three field goals. “It was the start of the first and third quarters that we struggled at,” said York head coach Bill Pangos. “We didn’t get into an offensive rhythm. They hit the big shots and we didn’t.  That’s what separates teams in these types of games.” While York’s shooting came up short in the quarter, Memorial made the most of their attempts, restoring a 12-point advantage by the end of the quarter. The Sea-Hawk momentum continued into the fourth for Memorial, which opened up a 17-point advantage with just over six minutes to play. Although the Lions were able to overcome a 12-point first-half deficit, they were unable to mount a successful comeback after falling behind 17 points. With just over three minutes remaining, OUA second team all-star Brenan Rurak dropped a triple from the corner in front of the Lions bench which sparked an 8-0 run that brought York back to within six points.  That would be as close as the Lions would pull, however, as time forced them to foul down the stretch and the Sea-Hawks converted from the charity stripe. “We kept our composure late in the game when they (York) cut our lead to a few points,” said Memorial head coach Doug Partridge. “I wasn’t worried. We had found ourselves in a similar situation last week in the AUS semifinal, so the girls knew how to react.” Pangos aid “I’ve got to give my team credit. They didn’t give up, taking it right down to the wire.  We were down 17 and brought it back to six points late in the game.” Partridge said “This is the perfect way to conclude a great day of basketball. “It’s great to be able to put our program, our facilities, our fans on display. We’re proud to show the rest of the country that Newfoundland is a hotbed for CIS women’s basketball. We kept our composure late in the game when they (York) cut our lead to a few points. I wasn’t worried. We had found ourselves in a similar situation last week in the AUS semi-final, so the girls knew how to react.” The teams were tied at 29-29 at the half but Memorial opened the third stanza with a 14-2 run and never looked back. We struggled at the start of the first and third quarters. We didn’t get into an offensive rhythm all night,” said Pangos. “They (Memorial) hit the big shots and we didn’t. That’s what separates teams in those types of games.” Meagan Seaward led Memorial with 14 on 6-8 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 2 assists. Victoria Thistle added 11 on 5-11 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 5 boards and 3 steals. Katherine Quackenbush scored 10 on 4-8 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Erin Mullaley notched 8 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-3 from the line and 3 assists. Krista Singleton scored 7 on 3-5 from the floor, 2-4 from the line, 7 boards and 2 blocks. Paula Barker added 5, Kelly Himmelman 5, Melissa Prunty 5 and Meghan Dalton 2. The Sea-Hawks hit 26-53 (.491) from the floor, 3-9 from the arc and 12-18 from the line, while garnering 31 boards, including 5 on the offensive glass, 23 assists, 17 fouls, 25 turnovers, 12 steals and 3 blocks. Emily Van Hoof led York with 21 on 10-15 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 7 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Kimberly Gibbs added 13 on 6-15 from the floor, 10 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Laura MacCallum added 12 on 3-12 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 4-6 from the line. Brenan Rurak scored 5 on 2-10 from the floor, 3 boards and 3 assists. Reanna Holden added 4 and Sarah Brodie 2, while Elspeth Cheng, Cortney Fuller, Melissa Meacham, Tara Minicucci and Kimberly Crate were scoreless. The Lions shot 23-65 (.354) from the floor, 4-12 from the arc and 7-12 (.583) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 21 fouls, 25 turnovers, 6 steals and 1 block.

In the semi, the 5th-seeded Simon Fraser Clan crushed the 8th-seeded Dalhousie Tigers 78-52. The Clan opened the second quarter with a 25-6 run and never looked back. “It seems like all the troubles we were having in playoffs, those are out now, we’re just playing like a team,” said SFU team captain and fourth-year guard Lani Gibbons. “We have fixed a couple of things defensively and it feels good to have that swagger back.” Sophomore guard Lisa Tindle added that “things did seem to go our way at the start of the game, which gets our confidence up, once we are moving and playing in our motion, we play well. We’ve known all year we have a talented group of players. We have focused on everyone bringing their skill set to the table and that is what we have done over these past two games.” Dalhousie coach Carolyn Savoy said “we got in foul trouble early and that hurt us. “The girls were a little uptight, this being a national semi-final, they weren’t as relaxed as last night. They (Simon Fraser) didn’t do anything we didn’t expect, they just executed and we didn’t. We weren’t hitting shots, even shots from up close, we missed a number of those.” The Clan jumped out to a quick 12-2 advantage and never looked back. Simon Fraser was leading 21-14 after one quarter paced by a nine-point output by Weigl, and put the game away with its impressive run at the start of the second period. SFU led by as much as 34 points, 73-39, in the opening moments of the final quarter. Laurelle Weigl paced the Clan with 17 on 6-6 from the floor, 5-8 from the line and 5 boards. Lisa Tindle added 14 on 4-8 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 4 assists. Robyn Buna notched 12 on 5-7 from the floor and 2-3 from the arc. Kate Hole scored 11 on 5-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards and 2 blocks. Kelsie Thu scored 8 on 3-7 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc and 2 assists. Courtney Brown scored 6 on 2-6 from the floor. Courtney Gerwing added 4 and Julia Wilson 3, along with 8 boards. Laura Van Den Boogaard scored 2, while Lani Gibbons notched 1 on 0-9 from the floor and 8 boards. Brittany Fraser and Matteke Hutzler were scoreless, with Hutzler nabbing 8 boards. Simon Fraser shot 29-65 (.446) from the floor, 7-28 (.250) from the arc and 13-21 (.619) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 28 assists, 16 fouls, 19 turnovers, 9 steals and 4 blocks. Rachel Harrison paced Dalhousie with 14 points on 6-14 from the floor and 2-2 from the line. Alex Legge scored 8 on 4-9 from the floor and 3 boards. Tamara Mijatovic notched 7 on 2-5 from the floor, 3-3 from the line and 3 boards. Brittany Sullivan scored 6 on 2-6 from the floor and 4 assists. Laurie Girdwood notched 5 on 2-7 from the floor and 10 boards. Leah Girdwood added 4, April Scott 4, Chloe Maclean 2 and Kathleen McNeil 2, while Kelly Donald, Abby Jakob and Emma Cooper were scoreless. The Tigers shot 21-63 (.333) from the floor, 2-6 from the arc and 8-15 (.533) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 18 assists, 20 fouls, 20 turnovers, and 7 steals.

        In the other semi, the 2nd-seeded Alberta Pandas dumped the 6th-seeded host Memorial Sea-Hawks before a sell-out crowd of 2,500. “It’s been a magical ride for this team all season, capped off by another outstanding defensive performance, which is what we’ve been building our identity on,” said Pandas coach Scott Edwards. Fifth-year guard Michelle Smith said “what more can I ask for. This is what everybody in the CIS dreams of. And now I’m going to live it. We’ll have our hands full tomorrow against SFU. We beat them at the conference Final Four but tomorrow will be a whole new ball game, it’s an even bigger trophy we’ll be playing for.” Edwards said guard Patricia Ariss was magnificent. “I thought Patricia (Ariss) was the best player on the floor tonight. She was outstanding at both ends of the court. She rebounded well, she’s stroking the ball beautifully, she has so much confidence right now.” Memorial coach Doug Partridge noted that Alberta “had way better energy than us tonight. They did a great job at running up and down the floor. They didn’t miss a shot in the first half. We didn’t defend well, which is usually one of our strengths. We didn’t guard anybody.” Leading 22-17 after one quarter, Alberta had increased its advantage to 45-30 by halftime. The Pandas kept pressing in the third stanza and closed out the frame on a 9-0 run for a 64-41 lead after 45 minutes of play. They led by as many as 24 points in the fourth quarter. Ashley Wigg paced Alberta with 14 on 4-6 from the floor, 6-8 from the line and 5 assists. Kristin Jarock added 13 on 6-13 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 6 boards. Patricia Ariss notched 11 on 5-6 from the floor, 10 boards and 2 steals. Carly Mclennan notched 8 on 3-6 from the floor and 2-4 from the arc. Nathalie Kiernan scored 7 on 3-5 from the floor. Michelle Anderson scored 6 on 3-5 from the floor. Alysia Rissling added 5 and Michell Smith 5 on 1-7 from the floor, 3-4 from the line and 7 assists. Kara Stevens notched 4, Meghan Knowles 4 and Emily Bolduc 2, while Katie Barrett was scoreless. The Pandas hit 32-63 (.508) from the floor, 4-13 (.308) from the arc and 11-16 (.688) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 6 on the offensive glass, 25 assists, 9 fouls, 14 turnovers, 5 steals and 4 blocks. Katherine Quackenbush paced Memorial with 16 on 5-8 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 2 assists. Kelly Himmelman notched 16 on 5-9 from the floor, 2-5 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 3 assists. Victoria Thistle scored 23 on 5-8 from the floor and 3 boards. Meagan Seaward scored 6 on 3-11 from the floor. Erin Mullaley notched 6 on 3-7 from the floor, 5 boards and 5 assists. Meghan Dalton scored 4, while Paula Barker, Krista Singleton and Melissa Prunty were scoreless. The Sea-Hawks hit 24-59 (.407) from the floor, 2-13 (.154) from the arc and 10-11 (.909) from the line, while garnering 22 boards, including 3 on the offensive glass, 19 assists, 14 turnovers, 5 steals and 6 blocks.

        In the bronze medal match, the 6th-seeded Memorial Sea-hawks defeated the 8th-seeded Dalhousie Tigers 75-60. “Our goal coming in was to get a medal, it’s good to be able to achieve that goal. We were hoping for another colour, but we’ll definitely take it,” said Memorial head coach Doug Partridge. “Last night the girls were really struggling after our tough loss in the semis. They didn’t see the point of playing for bronze. But this morning, after gathering for the team breakfast, they got their enthusiasm back. It’s all about history, it’s important for our program, for the province. You can’t really make a point in the present about the importance of a bronze medal, but it’s something they will really appreciate when they look back.” Leading 36-24 at the half, the Sea-Hawks led by as much as 15 in the third quarter but saw Dalhousie come back to within six points on two occasions in the fourth stanza, the last time with 2:33 remaining when a pair of Girdwood free throws closed the gap to 63-57. This is as close as the Tigers would get as they had to foul late in the match and the Hawks converted most of their free-throw attempts. Meagan Seaward paced Memorial with 22 on 10-15 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 7 boards and 2 blocks. Victoria Thistle added 17 on 5-12 from the floor, 7-10 from the line and 8 boards. Katherine Quackenbush notched 16 on 4-8 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 7-7 from the line, 8 boards, 5 assists and 3 steals. Kelly Himmelman added 5, Paula Barker 5, Erin Mullaley 4, Krista Singleton 2, Melissa Prunty 2 and Meghan Dalton 2. The Sea-Hawks hit 25-56 (.446) from the floor, 3-8 (.375) from the arc and 22-27 (.815) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 22 assists, 17 fouls, 14 turnovers, 6 steals and 4 blocks. Kelly Donald led Dalhousie with 17 on 5-15 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 6-9 from the line and 3 boards. Laurie Girdwood added 13 on 5-10 from the floor, 3-6 from the line, 13 boards, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Rachel Harrison scored 8 on 3-5 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 2 assists. Tamara Mijatovic notched 7 on 3-13 from the floor and 4 boards. Kathleen McNeil notched 7 on 3-14 from the floor, 5 boards and 3 assists. Alex Legge notched 4 on 1-8 from the floor and 5 boards. Leah Girdwood added 2 and Chloe Maclean 2, while April Scott and Brittany Sullivan were scoreless. The Tigers hit 22-74 (.297) from the floor, 3-9 from the arc, and 13-23 (.565) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 19 on the offensive glass, 16 assists, 22 fouls, 13 turnovers, 4 steals and 2 blocks.

        In the final, the 5th-seeded Simon Fraser Clan defeated the 2nd-seeded Alberta Pandas 72-68 as Stony Plain, Alberta-born Laurelle Weigl was all but unstoppable in the paint. “Laurelle (Weigl) has improved a million miles in the last year. She’s matured, she’s making better decision, she finishes inside better than she used to,” said SFU head coach Bruce Langford. “The scary thing is, she’s still very raw, when she gets good, she’s going to be really good.” Wiegl, chosen tournament MVP, noted that “I never really expected this only a year ago, it’s kind of unreal right now. “Bruce has helped me so much over the past year, I owe him a lot.” In one of the closest contested finals in CIS history, the biggest lead of the game was six points with 31.9 seconds left when the Clan went ahead 71-65. The conference rivals were tied 14 times, including at 51-51 after three quarters and nine times in the final frame. Simon Fraser’s biggest run was seven straight points from 64-65 down to 71-65, while Alberta had a 6-0 run early in the contest. Trailing 65-64 with 2:50 remaining, the Clan took the lead for good on a pair of free throws from six-foot-two post Matteke Hutzler, another standout freshman. Weigl made it 68-65 with 2:02 left and the teams didn’t score again until fourth-year guard Lani Gibbons hit one of two free throws with 55.1 seconds on the clock to put SFU up by four at 69-65. Fifth-year guard Kelsie Thu, playing in her final varsity game for SFU, came up with a huge steal with 36 seconds left and hit a pair of free throws of her own five seconds later, all but sealing the victory. Down 71-68 with 6.5 ticks remaining, the Pandas had one last chance to tie the affair but Weigl shattered their last hopes with a defensive zone steal. “It was a great battle between two very good teams. One of them had to lose, and unfortunately we were that team,” said first-year Alberta bench boss Scott Edwards. “They just executed better down the stretch.” Alberta forward Kristin Jarock noted that “we’re happy we made it this far but we’ll have a bitter taste in our mouth for the next year.” Langford noted that “it’s great to see players like Julia (Wilson) finish their career on a high note. Our seniors are part of my first recruiting class, which makes it extra special.” Edwards said Weigl was phenomenal. “She’s a great player. She dominated us tonight and we didn’t have an answer.” He also despaired that his troops shot poorly from the line. “To be quite frank, that’s unacceptable. You’re never going to win ball games if you can’t hit your free throws when it counts.” Simon Fraser’s six-point lead in the second quarter was the largest for either team. The Pandas cut it to 38-36 at the half on a long jumper at the buzzer. The Bears were killed on the offensive glass in the first half. “We lost focus here and there on the defensive boards,” said Ashley Wigg. “We gave them second chances and clean looks. In the end, we just didn’t pull it together when it mattered.” Kristin Jarock pulled the Pandas even in the third quarter and they took their first lead at 57-55 on a pair of free throws by Carly McLennan. The lead changed hands down the stretch. Wiegl hit a critical free throw with five seconds to play to ice it after being fouled by Wigg, who on the previous play drove to the hoop and was fouled by Matteke Hutzler, with no call. “That was a key possession and key miss by the refs, which was frustrating,” said Wigg. “When you’re down to the wire, every second and possession counts.” Wiegl paced the Clan with 30 on 14-23 from the floor, 2-3 from the line and 12 boards. Kate Hole scored 8 on 2-6 from the floor, 5 boards and 2 blocks. Robyn Buna scored 8 on 3-4 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc and 2 boards. Kelsie Thu notched 7 on 2-7 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards and 3 assists. Matteke Hutzler scored 6 on 2-4 from the floor. Lani Gibbons scored 6 on 2-17 from the floor, 0-6 from the arc, 2-3 from the line and 8 assists. Courtney Gerwing scored 5 on 2-7 from the floor, 8 boards and 2 assists. Julia Wilson scored 2 on 1-6 from the floor, 5 boards and 4 assists. Lisa Tindle and Laura Van Den Boogaard were scoreless. Simon Fraser shot 28-76 (.368) from the floor, 3-13 (.231) from the arc and 13-18 (.722) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 20 on the offensive glass, 23 assists, 21 fouls, 12 turnovers, 3 steals and 4 blocks.

Kristin Jarock paced Alberta with 17 on 6-12 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 4-8 from the line, 11 boards and 3 assists. Ashley Wigg added 10 on 4-11 from the floor, 2-5 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. Kara Stevens scored 10 on 4-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the line, 2 assists and 2 steals. Patricia Ariss scored 8 on 4-10 from the floor and 4 assists. Carly Mclennan notched 8 on 2-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 5 boards and 2 steals. Michelle Smith notched 7 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards and 5 assists. Meghan Knowles added 4 and Katie Barrett 4, while Nathalie Kiernan, Alysia Rissling, Michelle Anderson and Emily Bolduc were scoreless. The Pandas shot 26-65 (.400) from the floor, 2-11 (.182) from the arc and 14-26 (.538) from the line, while garnering 39 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass, 22 assists, 19 fouls, 12 turnovers, 6 steals and 2 blocks.

        The all-tourney team featured MVP Laurelle Weigl (Simon Fraser); Kristin Jarock (Alberta); Lani Gibbons (Simon Fraser); Maegan Seaward (Memorial); Lindsay DeGroot (McMaster); and Kelly Donald (Dalhousie)

        In June/2007, the CIS announced that the women will move to 16 teams draw in a three-year pilot commencing in 2010. Each of the 4 regional brackets will be hosted by a conference champion, with the winners moving on to the Final Four at a neutral site. Because the regional brackets will be based on rankings, each could potentially contain a team from Canada West, one from Ontario, one from Quebec and one from the Atlantic provinces although some adjustments will be made to keep travel costs down.

The CIS also says it will move to introduce a voluntary letter of intent for prospective student-athletes was also approved. The two primary objectives of the new tool are to reduce and limit recruiting pressures on student-athletes, and to reduce the recruiting workload of coaches. The letter of intent will be available to student-athletes planning on entering a CIS school in academic year 2008-09. Although not all student-athletes are
required to sign a letter of intent, the letter will be a nationally recognized tool that will signal the end of the recruiting process for student-athletes who wish to do so.

The bronze medalist Memorial Sea-Hawks: Katherine Quackenbush; Victoria Thistle; Paula Barker; Maegan Seaward; Meghan Dalton; Erin Mullaley; Krista Singleton; Melissa Prunty; Kelly Himmelman; Brittany Dalton; Amy Peveril; Stefanie Foo; coach Doug Partridge

The silver medalist Alberta Pandas: Michelle Smith; Kristin Jarock; Ashley Wigg; Patricia Ariss; Carly McLennan; Katie Barrett; Kara Stevens; Nathalie Kiernan; Emily Bolduc; Michelle Anderson; Meghan Knowles; Alysia Rissling; Marisa Haylett; Jenny Brauder; Leigha Letford; Jessica Todd; coach Scott Edwards; assistant Cathy Butlin; assistant Charene Welsh; assistant Kelly Haggstrom; assistant Janet McLachlan; athletic director Dale Schulha

The champion Simon Fraser Clan: Laurelle Weigl; Kelsie Thu; Julia Wilson; Courtney Gerwing; Lisa Tindle; Lani Gibbons; Matteke Hutzler; Kate Hole; Laura Van Den Boogaard; Robyn Buna; coach Bruce Langford