2004-05 CanWest - women - From Naismith to Nash

REGULAR SEASON

GREAT PLAINS				CENTRAL
Winnipeg	17-3	31-7	Tanya McKay	Saskatchewan	11-9	21-12	Lisa Thomaidis
Regina	12-8	17-15	Jeff Speedy	Calgary	9-11	16-15	Shawnee Harle
Manitoba	11-9	15-14	Pam Danis	Alberta	9-11	12-18	Trix Baker
Brandon	0-20	0-25	Cheryl Kryluk	Lethbridge	8-12	9-18	Donna Branch
PACIFIC
Simon Fraser	20-0	34-0	Bruce Langford
U.B.C.	12-8	21-10	Deb Huband
Victoria	10-10	20-15	Brian Cheng
Trinity Western	1-19	3-24	Danielle Gardner

Playoff non-qualifiers:

Alberta Pandas: Carly McLennan, Stephanie Stolk, Kristin Jarock, Michelle Smith, Patricia Ariss, Ashley Wigg, Nathalie Kiernan, Melissa Penner, Kara Stevens, Karen Lodge, Lauren Colborne, Whitney Adams, April Kanderka, Jill Hanson, coach Trix Kannekens-Baker

Brandon Bobcats: Nina Adusei, Dani Cote, Stephanie Hooft, Danielle Brock, Kristin Fitzpatrick, Jennalee Burch, Ruth Jebose, Jenna Dixon, Deanna Day, Taryn Hajnyrch, Stacey Anderson, coach Cheryl Kryluk

Lethbridge Pronghorns: Jessica Lynch, Jordana Miltimore, Angela Thompson, Jaime Tschritter, Candace Thompson, Kim Bridge, Jen Loraas-Pletsch, Ciana Gregorio, Lindy lauder, Jenny Beckman, Michaela Dilsworth, Mackenzie Vander Woude, Natasha Yuill, Aimee Sandham, Caitlin Anderson, coach Donna Hanna-Branch

Trinity Western Spartans: Samantha Hill, Taylor Stuart, Heidi DeHaan, Lee Wedlake, Janice Tessmann, Roslynn Fast, Christina Dumas, Angela Booy, Heather Van Wieren, Lauren Doubroff, Kelly Konrad, Reema Nagra, coach Danielle Gardner, assistant Angela McCleod, trainer Katyana Pyde

In the quarterfinals, Victoria defeated Winnipeg 70-64; 53-58; 63-58 (2g-1). …………………………………………………… In game one, Victoria defeated host Winnipeg 70-64 as Jania Mynott scored 22 on 9-18 from the floor and 7 boards. Leanne Shenton added 13 on 5-6 from the floor and 7 assists. Jody Potts scored 11 on 3-8 from the floor, 5-6 from the line and 8 assists. Jen Diana scored 7 on 3-5 from the floor and 12 boards, while Lindsay Hewson scored 3 on 1-6 from the floor. Jamie Bell added 7 off the bench, while Beckie MacDonald scored 5 and Allison Omland 2. Schuylah Merrick and Krystal Hawksworth were scoreless. The Vikings shot 27-53 (.509) from the floor, 4-15 (.267) from the arc and 12-17 (.706) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, 18 fouls, 23 assists, 10 turnovers and 3 steals. Uzo Asagwara paced Winnipeg with 25 points on 9-18 from the floor, 23-7 from the arc and 4 boards. Heather Thompson scored 10 on 5-10 from the floor, 6 boards and 3 steals. JoAnne Wells scored 8 on 3-7 from the floor and 6 boards. Kate Daniels and Jenny Ezirim each notched 3. Stefanie Timmersman and Jae Pirnie each added 4 off the bench, while Melanie Talastas scored 2. Lindsay de Leeuw was scoreless. The Wesmen hit 27-56 (.482) from the floor, 4-13 (.308 from the arc and 6-12 from the line, while garnering 26 boards, 18 fouls, 22 assists, 9 turnovers, 6 blocks and 8 steals. Victoria led 44-29 at the half. Victoria opened with a hoop from Jania Mynott and a pair of free throws from Jody Potts. Winnipeg answered quickly to take a 9-8 lead. The teams then traded the lead until Lindsay Hewson and Jen Diana took command for the Vikings. Crisp ball movement and inside-outside passing were instrumental as Victoria built a 16-point lead, while holding JoAnne Wells to two points. Victoria led 44-29 at the half. The Wesmen shut down the paint in the second half, forcing Victoria to the perimeter and rallying within four. Vic built the lead back up to 10 with seven minutes to play before Stefanie Timmersman hit a pair of hoops to rally Winnipeg to within 59-55 and then cut the lead to 61-59 with just over three minutes to play. Diana converted a missed Mynott shot to rebuild the lead to four and then grabbed a critical defensive board to set up Vic for another hoop. But she was soon forced to the bench with five fouls and Uzo Asagwara drained a trey to cut the margin to 68-64 in the final minute before Victoria iced it at the line. “We executed on offence and took care of the boards,” said Vikes’ coach Brian Cheng. “Our defence didn’t allow their guards to penetrate. I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t put them away sooner. … We played Wells tough on defence and forced her to shoot challenged shots all night. We rebounded very well and that took away part of their offence.” …………………………………………………… In game two, Winnipeg knotted the series by nipping Victoria 58-53 as JoAnne Wells scored 16 on 7-13 from the floor, 5 assists and 4 steals. Uzo Asagwara scored 13 on 5-11 from the floor. Heather Thompson notched 12 on 5-7 from the floor and 7 boards. Kate Daniels scored 11 on 5-9 from the floor and Jenny Ezirim 2, while dishing 5 assists. Melanie Talastas added 4 off the bench, while Lindsay de Leeuw, Stefanie Timmersman and Jae Pirnie were scoreless. The Wesmen shot 25-49 (.510) from the floor, 2-9 (.222) from the arc and 6-9 from the line, while garnering 25 boards, 15 fouls, 22 assists, 12 turnovers, 1 block and 12 steals, including 5 by Ezirim. Leanne Shenton paced Victoria with 13 points on 4-9 from the floor and 5 boards. Jody Potts scored 11 on 4-17 from the floor and 13 boards. Jen Diana and Lindsay Hewson each scored 10. Diana grabbed 5 boards and 4 assists. Hewson shot 4-5 from the floor and had 4 assists. Jania Mynott scored 4 on 2-5 from the floor and 5 boards. Jamie Bell added 8 off the bench and Beckie MacDonald scored 2, while Schuylah Merrick and Allison Omland were scoreless. The Vikings shot 18-46 (.391) from the floor, 7-20 (.350) from the arc and 10-18 (.556) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, 15 fouls, 17 assists, 7 turnovers and 5 steals. Victoria led 22-20 at the half. After facing a thirty-minute delay for opening tip-off, the Vikes took another minute and half to score their first basket and then went on to score three more for an early 8-0 lead. Winnipeg hit the board with their first tally about three minutes in and from there were able to shoot their way back into the game. Over the next seven minutes of play, the Wesmen hit consistently to bring the score to 14-10 in favour of UVic. Victoria went on a roll beginning at the midway mark and opened up an eleven-point lead, 21-10. The Vikes challenged the Wesmen with a balanced attack as well as hitting for key three-pointers and used aggressive defense on super-shooter JoAnne Wells to stay out front. The Wesmen were hanging tough and were back to within four at 22-18 with under two minutes to play. Winnipeg would add two more before the buzzer sounded and the teams went to the locker room with UVic in front 22-20. It took less than a minute into the second for Winnipeg to take their first lead of the game, scoring a two and picking up a free throw to go up by one. The Wesmen would add another quick hoop and extended their margin to three. After two Jamie Bell free throws, the Vikes were down one. With possession of the ball UVic marched up court and Bell threw up a jumper that was looking good until Winnipeg’s Uzo Asagwara came across the key and swatted the ball away from the rim, bringing the crowd to their feet. Leanne Shenton kept the game close as she nailed a deep three-pointer bringing the score to 37-35 Winnipeg. The Wesmen, working hard to avoid elimination, worked the scoreboard and opened up an eight-point lead, 45-37 with only eight minutes to play. With just over four minutes left it was a four-point game, 47-43 with Winnipeg clinging to the lead. Graduating senior Jen Diana would add two more to cut the lead to two but the Wesmen hit back-to-back two’s and a three moving the lead to 54-47. Victoria countered with another Shenton three and a Potts two putting UVic down three, 56-53 with a little over a minute to play. Winnipeg would hold onto to the ball and the lead in that final seconds and earned the victory. “Winnipeg made a lot of adjustments for this game and we were slow to counter them,” said Vikes’ coach Brian Cheng. “We were sloppy in our execution and just not as focused as we were in the opener.” …………………………………………………… Victoria took the series by dumping Winnipeg 63-58 as Jody Potts scored 24 on 7-17 from the floor, 4-9 from the arc, 6-8 from the line, 6 boards and 5 assists. Jania Mynott added 17 on 13-18 from the line and 6 boards. Leanne Shenton scored 4, all from the line. Lindsay Hewson notched 3 and Jen Diana 2. Jamie Bell added 8 off the bench. Beckie MacDonald scored 5, while Victoria McGroarty and Allison Omland were scoreless. The Vikings shot 16-44 (.364) from the floor, 6-20 (.300) from the arc and 25-32 (.781) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, 19 fouls, 13 assists, 13 turnovers and 8 steals. Victoria led 30-26 at the half. Vic opened the scoring with two buckets to take an early 7-5 lead and quickly extended it to 14-5. But Winnipeg capitalized on Viking ballhandling miscues to rally within 14-11 before Potts and Hewson drilled treys to increase Victoria’s lead to 20-12. The Wesmen became pounding the ball inside and knotted the score at 20 with just over minutes to play in the half. But Potts and MacDonald nailed treys to give Victoria 30-25 lead at the half. Winnipeg opened the second half with an 8-0 run to take a 34-30 lead before Victoria rallied with five unanswered points. The teams traded the lead and knotted the score at 49 with five minutes to play. Shenton hit a pair from the line and then stole the ball to set up Potts for a layup as Victoria inched ahead by five. Mynott later hit a pair from the line to ensure the victory as the Vikings qualified for the Final Four. “Coming into this series, we knew that Winnipeg had a good team,” Vikes’ Jania Mynott said. “They weren’t ranked No. 2 in Canada without a reason. We wanted to show them that we belonged with them. We were in a must-win situation and I just put everything out on the floor and played hard. Now we face another must-win situation at Simon Fraser.” Victoria coach Brian Cheng said “that was a very special win for our team. We found a way to grind out a victory. We did the little things right by getting a rebound, turnover or score at the most opportune times. Jody [Potts] had a great game for us. She showed tremendous leadership. Jody and Leanne [Shenton] were very good at running and executing the offence. When we got into foul problems, our bench got involved and did a great job.” JoAnne Wells paced the Wesmen with 20 points on 9-15 from the floor, 7 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Heather Thompson added 18 on 6-14 from the floor, 5-8 from the line and 15 boards. Jenny Ezirim scored 7 on 3-9 from the floor and 3 steals. Kate Daniels notched 5 and Uzo Asagwara 5 on 1-10 from the floor. Melanie Talastas scored 3 off the bench, while, Lindsay de Leeuw, Stefanie Timmersman and Jae Pirnie were scoreless. Winnipeg shot 22-5 (.400) from the floor, 4-16 (.250) from the arc and 10-17 (.588) from the line, while garnering 31 boards, 26 fouls, 14 assists, 12 turnovers, 2 blocks and 10 steals. The Wesmen (coached by Tanya McKay, assistants Tami Pennell and Janet Wells, trainers Cheryl Ryan and Mel Merke, managers Jim Schrofel and Rhiana Wall, therapist Ben Trunzo) also included Christina Thys, Ronaly Olaes, Alecia Evans and Sam Breakenridge.

U.B.C. defeated Saskatchewan 71-57; 79-71 (2g-0). …………………………………………………… In game one, U.B.C. defeated the host Saskatchewan Huskies 71-57 as Kelsey Blair scored 18 on 7-14 from the floor and 7 boards. Sheila Townsend notched 13 on 5-12 from the floor. Erica McGuinness scored 11 on 3-8 from the floor and 6 boards. Kim Howe scored 8 on 4-12 from the floor and 5 boards, while Cait Haggarty scored 5 and grabbed 5 boards. Julie Little added 14 points off the bench on 6-8 from the floor. Jane Meadwell and Caitlyn Pankratz each scored 1, while Emily Beers, Letah Beck and Tina Lum were scoreless. The T-Birds hit 26-60 (.433) from the floor, 4-9 (.444) from the arc and 15-18 (.833) from the line, while garnering 30 boards, 13 fouls, 8 assists, 11 turnovers, 1 block and 6 steals. Sarah Crooks paced Saskatchewan with 24 points on 11-18 from the floor and 23 boards. Catherine Lieffers scored 10 on 5-12 from the floor. Jody Jury scored 9 on 3- 4 from the floor. Ashley Dutchak scored 8 and Sharlene Cooper six. Huskie reserves Amy Prokop, Karen Fraser, Nicole Poier and Keri Leigh Porter were held scoreless. Saskatchewan shot 24-56 (.429) from the floor, 1-13 (.077) from the arc and 8-13 (.615) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, 19 fouls, 13 assists, 20 turnovers and 3 steals. U.B.C. led 37-35 at the half. U.B.C. pulled away in the second half. “That was a really strong performance tonight,” said coach Deb Huband. “It was a great, fast-paced battle that we managed to control of down the stretch. We’re happy to get the first one under our belt and we’re looking forward to getting back at it tomorrow.” Despite the double-double, Crooks was disappointed. “(The big outing) wasn’t good enough.” While Crooks cleared the glass like a high-speed set of wipers while hitting 11 of 18 shots, the rest of the team struggled. Saskatchewan turned the ball over 20 times (five by Crooks), and the talented guard duo of Sharlene Cooper and Ashley Dutchak combined to hit just five of 20 shots. Only one other Huskie – Catherine Lieffers – hit double figures in scoring. She netted 10. “We played well in spurts,” said Saskatchewan coach Lisa Thomaidis. “But in the second half, people weren’t making shots they normally make. Whether it was nerves or jitters, I’m not too sure. We’ve got to come out, win two, and it starts (today). Back to the drawing board.” Crooks swapped showtime displays with UBC guard Sheila Townsend, her national-squad teammate, in the early going, with each scoring 12 in the opening seven minutes. UBC led 31-21 late in the opening frame, but a 14-5 Saskatchewan run shut the gap to two by half-time. …………………………………………………… In game two, B.C. completed a series sweep by dumping Saskatchewan 79-71 as Erica McGuinness scored 26 on 6-11 from the floor and 13-14 from the line. Sheila Townsend scored 21 on 5-11 from the floor, 11-13 from the line and 3 assists. Cait Haggerty scored 7 and Kelsey Blair 6 on 3-11 from the floor and 13 boards. Kim Howe scored 3. Julie Little and Caitlyn Pankratz each added 8 off the bench. Little was 4-9 from the floor and grabbed 5 boards. Letah Beck was scoreless. The Thunderbirds hit 24-53 (.453) from the floor, 4-8 from the arc and 27-32 (.844) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, 13 fouls, 7 assists, 15 turnovers, 1 block and 8 steals, including 4 by Blair. U.B.C. led 36-33 at the half. McGuinness and point guard Sheila Townsend went a combined 15-for-16 from the free-throw line in the final 2:22 of the game. “To come away with a sweep on the road in the playoffs is always an accomplishment,” said UBC head coach Deb Huband. “The individuals on our team stepped up when the pressure was on and took care of business.” Saskatchewan forward Jody Jury called the loss “frustrating. We have a lot of talent, but we left it until a little too late in the game.” Coach Lisa Thomaidis said “nobody on this team is ready for this to end. We had higher aspirations. There’s no shame in losing out in the first round to who we lost to. This isn’t what we had planned, though – it’s not what we thought would be in the cards.” Saskatchewan trailed 38-37 early in the second half, then spotted UBC a fatal 17-2 run. The Huskies’ desperate attempt to come back was hurt by an inability to hit the outside shot. Guards Sharlene Cooper and Ashley Dutchak missed 12 of 15 on the night, and finished 8-for-35 for the weekend. Saskatchewan still pulled within striking distance thanks to a furious rally down the stretch, but UBC guards Townsend and McGuinness won it at the line. “I wish we could have brought that (late-game) energy and fire for the two games, solid,” said Thomaidis. “That would have been a true test of what we had. We didn’t truly show what kind of team we are; I feel a little cheated that way.” Sarah Crooks paced Saskatchewan with 25 points on 9-16 from the floor, 7-8 from the line and 14 boards. Jody Jury added 21 on 8-15 from the floor and 8 boards. Ashley Dutchak scored 5 on 1-7 from the floor and 7 assists. Sharlene Cooper scored 4 on 2-8 from the floor and Catherine Lieffers 3 on 1-5 from the floor. Keri Leigh Porter added 9 off the bench on 4-5 from the floor. Amy Prokop and Nicole Poier each scored 2, while Karen Fraser was scoreless. The Huskies shot 27-59 (.458) from the floor, 2-8 from the arc and 15-19 (.789) from the line, while garnering 31 boards, 21 fouls, 15 assists, 16 turnovers, 1 block and 5 steals. The Huskies (coached by Lisa Thomaidis, assisted by Allison Fairbrother and Jacqueline Lavallee) also included Jill Stein, Kara Lackie and Holly Annand.

Regina defeated Manitoba 67-69; 72-63; 71-65 (2g-1). …………………………………………………… In game one, visiting Manitoba nipped Regina 69-67 as Rachel Hart scored 15 on 5-9 from the floor, 5 boards and 4 assists. Diana Gray scored 12 on 5-10 from the floor. Jayne Legal-Antoniuk notched 10 on 4-9 from the floor, 4 boards and 4 steals. Cheryl Jean-Paul scored 9 on 2-7 from the floor, 5-5 from the line, 4 assists and 3 steals. Melanie Schlichter scored 4 and grabbed 5 boards. Sarah Holder added 13 off the bench on 5-9 from the floor and 4 steals. Katie Loewen scored 4 and Sopear Chhin 2. The Bison shot 25-61 (.410) from the floor, 2-14 (.143) from the arc and 17-22 (.773) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, 18 fouls, 16 assists, 15 turnovers, 2 blocks and 15 steals. Jana Schweitzer led Regina with 19 points on 6-17 from the floor, 5-5 from the line, 5 assists and 5 steals. Leah Anderson notched 12 on 3-8 from the floor and 7 boards. Megan Cherkas scored 12 on 2-8 from the floor, 5 boards and 5 assists. Lara Schmidt scored 8 on 4-7 from the floor and 8 boards, while Chelsea Cassano scored 4 on 2-6 from the floor and 6 boards. Maja Kralovcova scored 7 off the bench on 2-7 from the floor. Leane Phillips scored 4, while Danny Ash, Shannon Funk, Meryl Jordan and Emily Ross were scoreless. Regina shot 23-58 (.397) from the floor, 2-9 (.222) from the arc and 19-27 (.704) from the line, while garnering 46 boards, 18 fouls, 17 assists, 23 turnovers, 5 blocks and 7 steals. Manitoba led 38-26 at the half. …………………………………………………… In game two, Regina evened the series by dumping Manitoba 72-63 as Jana Schweitzer scored 22 on 7-11 from the floor, 5-11 from the line, 5 assists and 4 steals. Leah Anderson notched 18 on 8-16 from the floor, 7 boards and 4 assists. Lara Schmidt notched 13 on 4-9 from the floor, 5-6 from the line and 8 boards. Megan Cherkas scored 4 and dished 4 assists. Chelsea Cassano scored 2 and grabbed 11 boards. Danny Ash added 5 off the bench. Maja Kralovcova scored 4, Laura Hunko 2 and Leane Phillips 2, while Meryl Jordan was scoreless. Regina shot 26-56 (.464) from the floor, 3-10 from the arc and 17-32 (.531) from the line, while garnering 44 boards, 17 fouls, 17 assists, 21 turnovers, 4 blocks and 10 steals. Rachel Hart led Manitoba with 13 points on 5-11 from the floor, 7 boards and 5 steals. Sarah Holder added 12 on 3-7 from the floor and 6-6 from the line. Diana Gray scored 11 on 5-20 from the floor. Jayne Legal-Antoniuk scored 9 on 4-9 from the floor and Melanie Schlichter scored 4 on 2-8 from the floor and 4 boards. Sopear Chhin added 10 off the bench on 3-12 from the floor. Katie Loewen added 4, while Nicole Wooden was scoreless. Manitoba shot 23-61 (.377) from the floor, 3-12 from the arc and 14-16 (.875) from the line, while garnering 32 boards, 25 fouls, 13 assists, 17 turnovers and 10 steals. The score was knotted at 35 at the half. Leah Anderson ripped off a personal 11-0 run to help the Cougars overcome a 46-40 second-half deficit. A 16-0 run – sparked by a high-volume, clipboard- smacking speech by Speedy during a timeout – turned the 46-40 deficit into a 56-46 lead. Jana Schweitzer’s three-point play was followed by 11 straight points by Anderson and a basket by Lara Schmidt – and the Cougars never trailed again. …………………………………………………… In the decisive third game, Regina defeated Manitoba 71-65 to take the series as Jana Schweitzer scored 21 on 7-14 from the floor, 6-9 from the line, 5 boards and 11 assists. Leah Anderson scored 19 on 7-10 from the floor and 7 boards. Chelsea Cassano scored 13 on 5-7 from the floor and 7 boards. Lara Schmidt scored 8 on 3-6 from the floor and 8 boards, while Megan Cherkas was scoreless. Danny Ash and Maja Kralovcova each added 4 off the bench. Leane Phillips scored 2, while Laura Hunko, Shannon Funk, Meryl Jordan and Emily Ross were scoreless. Regina shot 23-53 (.472) from the floor, 3-16 (.188) from the arc and 18-28 (.643) from the line, while garnering 43 boards, 16 fouls, 19 assists, 18 turnovers, 4 blocks and 3 steals. Manitoba led 37-26 at the half. Jana Schweitzer recorded 14 of her 21 points in the second half to help the Cougars rally from the halftime deficit. “I just wasn’t ready to be done,” said Schweitzer. “As much as we don’t like coming to the gym some days and practice can wear on our bones, when it comes down to it, we wanted to keep going.” The Bisons led 37-26 at halftime before Schweitzer took over. She scored 10 of the Cougars’ first 12 points of the half and drew an assist on the other bucket, by Chelsea Cassano. “Once she gets excited, you want to be excited and pumped up, too,” Cassano said of Schweitzer. “You just want to help (Schweitzer and Anderson) win so bad that your adrenaline gets going.” Anderson scored seven points in a row to give Regina a 52-51 lead with 8:30 left in the game, but the Bisons hung around. Back-to- back layups by Cassano – both set up by Schweitzer – put the Cougars ahead 59-56 with 3:55 left and they held the lead the rest of the way. Rachel Hart paced Manitoba with 24 points on 6-15 from the floor, 12-14 from the line, 9 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Diana Gray added 12 on 5-13 from the floor. Sarah Holder scored 8 on 3-6 from the floor and 4 boards. Jayne Legal-Antoniuk scored 3 on 1-7 from the floor, while Melanie Schlichter scored 2. Sopear Chhinn added 12 off the bench on 4-10 from the floor, 4 boards and 2 steals. Katie Loewen scored 4 on 1-6 from the floor, while Nicole Wooden and Rachelle Harty-Edwards were scoreless. The Bison shot 21-63 (.333) from the floor, 5-16 (.312) from the arc and 18-23 (.783) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, 23 fouls, 11 assists, 11 turnovers, 1 block and 8 steals. The Bisons (coached by Pam Danis) also included Cheryl Jean-Paul and Desiree Streit.

In the last quarterfinal, Simon Fraser defeated Calgary 57-39; 63-53 (2g-0). …………………………………………………… In the opener, twin towers Morgan McLaughlin and Julia Wilson each scored in double figures as top-ranked Simon Fraser defeated Calgary 57-39 at Chancellor Gymnasium. The 6-2 Toronto native McLaughlin scored 18 on 7-8 from the field and 3 boards, while 6-4 Wilson scored 10 of her 13 points in the second half and grabbed 4 boards. The Clan held Dinnie Tanya Hautala to 10 points, nine below her season average. SFU built a 25-16 lead at the half as Calgary slowed the game to a crawl. Dani Langford added 6 for the Clan on 2-5 from the floor and 6 assists. Devon Campbell scored 5, while dishing out 7 assists. Courtney Brown was scoreless, while grabbing 2 boards. Lani Gibbons scored 9 off the bench on 3-3 from the arc. Courtney Gerwing and Laura Van De Boogaard each scored 3, while, Kelsie Thu and Maren Corrigal were scoreless. The Clan shot 21-35 (.600) from the floor, 6-16 (.375) from the arc and 9-15 (.600) from the line, while garnering 17 boards, 13 fouls, 20 assists, 15 turnovers, 1 block and 2 steals. Tanya Hautala paced Calgary with 10 points on 5-8 from the floor and 3 steals. Lindsay Maundrell added 7 points on 2-6 from the floor and 5 boards. Whitney Haswell scored 4 on 2-5 from the floor, while Katherine Adams scored 4 and Cory Bekkering 2. Shari Jonker added 5 off the bench. Michelle Stiphout scored 4 and Jade Jensen 3, while Brianna Orr, Carolyn Foltinek and Jamie Morck were scoreless. The Dinosaurs shot 17-37 (.459) from the floor, 0-6 from the arc and 5-9 (.556) from the line, while garnering 19 boards, 16 fouls, 12 assists, 18 turnovers, 1 block and 8 steals. …………………………………………………… Simon Fraser completed the sweep by dumping Calgary 63-53 in game two as Dani Langford scored 22 on 5-10 from the floor, 10-12 from the line and 8 assists. Julia Wilson added 18 on 8-14 from the floor and 9 boards. Morgan McLaughlin scored 6 and grabbed 4 boards. Courtney Brown scored 4 and Devon Campbell 3 on 1-7 from the floor and 5 boards. Lani Gibbons added 6 off the bench on 4-7 from the line. Maren Corrigal scored 3 and Laura Van De Boogaard 1, while Kelsie Thu and Courtney Gerwing were scoreless. The Clan shot 19-43 (.442) from the floor, 3-6 from the arc and 22-32 (.688) from the line, while garnering 24 boards, 18 fouls, 13 assists, 9 turnovers, 1 block and 6 steals. Simon Fraser led 32-26 at the half. The Clan got a scare from Calgary before pulling out its 33rd straight win. Calgary out shot and out-rebounded the Clan to put themselves in position for an upset until Langford nailed a three-point basket with 3:21 left to end a Calgary run and shift momentum back towards SFU. Calgary third-year guard Lindsay Maundrell had moved the Dinos to within five points, 52-47, before Langford scored to snuff out the run. Calgary slowed the pace of the game, content to eat up the shot clock and give the high-scoring Clan fewer possessions. It almost worked. Calgary trailed just 32-26 at the half and was in the game until the final minute when it was forced to foul the Clan to have a chance to win it. “We didn’t come in with the intensity and focus we need to have to be successful,” said Clan coach Bruce Langford. “Thank goodness during one of our timeouts (late in the game) some players found some energy so we could get out of here alive.” Dani Langford said that “it was important to get a kick in the pants because it will give us something to think about. It was tough to stay sharp on defence, waiting for Calgary to initiate its offence in the last 10 to 15 seconds of every possession. You really have to stay on yourself to be mentally sharp. Hopefully we learned from this experience.” With the win, Simon Fraser earned the right to host the Final Four. Lindsay Maundrell paced Calgary with 22 points on 9-11 from the floor, 4-7 from the line and 4 boards. Tanya Hautala added 11 on 4-7 from the floor. Katherine Adams scored 6 on 3-6 from the floor and 6 assists. Whitney Haswell scored 4 on 1-5 from the floor and 5 boards. Cory Bekkering notched 3 on 1-4 from the floor and 6 boards. Jamie Morck added 4 off the bench. Jade Jensen scored 2 and Britt Grydeland 1, while Shari Jonker and Michelle Stiphout were scoreless. The Dinosaurs shot 21-39 (.538) from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 10-16 (.625) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, 27 fouls, 15 assists, 17 turnovers, 1 block and 1 steal. The Dinos (coached by Shawnee Harle) also included Jamie Haswell, Katherine Adams, Brianna Orr, Carolyn Foltinek and Pam Weatherbee.

In the Final Four semis, 2nd-seeded Regina defeated third-seeded U.B.C. 57-52 as Leah Anderson and Chelsea Casson each scored 11. Anderson was 5-7 from the floor, while Cassano was 5-6 from the floor. Lara Schmidt scored 7 and grabbed 5 boards. Jana Schweitzer scored 4 and nabbed 6 boards, while dishing 8 assists. Megan Cherkas scored 4 on 2-4 from the floor. Danny Ash added 11 off the bench on 5-8 from the floor. Leane Phillips scored 4, Laura Hunko 3 and Maja Kralovcova 2, while Shannon Funk and Meryl Jordan were scoreless. Regina shot 24-42 (.571) from the floor, 3-9 from the arc and 6-14 (.429) from the line, while garnering 21 boards, 19 fouls, 15 assists, 19 turnovers, 1 block and 10 steals, including 3 by Schweitzer. Regina led 32-23 at the half. Kelsey Blair led the Thunderbirds with 19 points on 7-8 from the floor, 5-8 from the line and 8 boards. Sheila Townsend added 17 on 7-18 from the floor and 4 assists. Erica McGuinness scored 6 on 2-7 from the floor and 5 assists, while Cait Haggarty and Kim Howe were scoreless. Jane Meadwell scored 6 off the bench on 2-5 from the arc, while Julie Little notched 4 on 1-4 from the floor. Letah Beck, Caitlyn Pankratz and Tim Lum were scoreless. U.B.C. shot 19-50 (.380) from the floor, 5-14 (.357) from the arc and 9-15 (.600) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, 17 fouls, 13 assists, 19 turnovers, 1 block and 6 steals. “I’m ecstatic that this group is going back to nationals,” said head coach Jeff Speedy. “We’re the only team in the country that lost a national-team post (Phoebe De Ciman) and the CIS player-of- the-year (Cymone Bouchard) to graduation. For this group to get back there after the losses we suffered says a lot for this program, for this year’s seniors (Jana Schweitzer and Leah Anderson) and for the whole team.” The Cougars led UBC 32-23 at the half – the first time Regina led at halftime in six games – and went on to beat the defending national champions. A 10-0 run in the second half pulled UBC within four points at 44-40, but Regina replied with a 4-0 spurt to hold on.

In the other semi, top-seeded Simon Fraser defeated fourth-seeded Victoria 73-60 as Julia Wilson scored 27 on 11-14 from the floor, 5-6 from the line and 10 boards. Devon Campbell added 13 on 3-6 from the floor, 6-8 from the line and 6 boards. Morgan McLaughlin scored 10 on 5-7 from the floor, 6 boards and 2 blocks. Dani Langford scored 10 on 4-9 from the floor and 8 assists, while Courtney Brown was scoreless. Lani Gibbons added 4 off the bench, while Laura Van den Boogaard scored 3. Kelsie Thu, Maren Corrigal and Courtney Gerwing each scored 2. The Clan shot 27-54 from the floor, 3-16 (.188) from the arc and 16-20 (.800) from the line, while garnering 38 boards, 11 fouls, 20 assists, 18 turnovers, 2 blocks and 5 steals. Simon Fraser led 28-24 at the half. Jody Potts paced Victoria with 19 points on 9-16 from the floor. Jen Diana added 13 on 5-12 from the floor and 6 assists. Jania Mynott scored 9 on 4-8 from the floor. Leanne Shenton added 8 on 3-7 from the floor, while Lindsay Hewson scored 3 on 1- 4 from the floor and 5 assists. Jamie Bell notched 6 off the bench, while grabbing 5 boards. Beckie MacDonald scored 2, while Allison Omland was scoreless. The Vikings shot 25-54 (.463) from the floor, 6-15 (.400) from the arc and 4-9 (.444) from the line, while garnering 18 boards, 20 fouls, 15 assists, 14 turnovers, 1 block and 9 steals, including 3 by Potts. Size would prove to be the undoing for the Vikes tonight as the Clan used the height of forwards Julia Wilson, Morgan McLaughlin and guard Devon Campbell to out-rebound UVic by a margin of 38-18. “We were pretty nervous before the game but it’s a sigh of relief to finally qualify for nationals (after winning 34 straight games) and now we can play our hearts out for our fans in our last home game,” said Clan senior captain Dani Langford. Simon Fraser 6-foot-4 forward Julia Wilson took control of the game by scoring 19 of her game-high 27 points in the second half as the Clan outscored Victoria 45-36 in the final period. The lead changed hands eight times in the first period as neither team could sustain any momentum but Simon Fraser never trailed after ending the first half on a 6-0 run. Leading 28-24 at the break, Simon Fraser opened the second half on a 6-2 run to widen its lead to eight-points, 34-26, and then held that margin for most of the second half. Victoria never recovered. The Vikes got to within six points, 36-30, five minutes into the second half and after the Clan pushed the lead back out to 15-points, Victoria was able to only get to within eight points again with 6:49 left in the game. “We came out at the half and said the score is 0-0 and we have to clutch down and play harder,” said Langford. “We pushed the ball forward and got scoring from all different positions. There’s always going to be stages in a game where we’re under some pressure but we’ve faced adversity before in games so we’re not unfamiliar with it. It certainly helped to have the crowd on our side. I thought after we hit a couple of big baskets and got some key stops the crowd roared pretty good and things just started to snowball from there. …Julia got hammered out there a bit but she went to the line and hit her shots. I thought we came out with more focus in the second half and people did the jobs they needed to do. We got a lot of players contributing in different areas at crucial times.” Victoria coach Brian Cheng said “Simon Fraser deserves all the credit. They’re the number one team in the country, and they proved it. They’re 6-5 and 6-3 up front, and we’re 6-1 and 5-9. … That’s like having a 7-4 and a 7-footer in the men’s game. They’re huge.”

In the bronze medal match, Victoria defeated U.B.C. 63-56 as Jania Mynott scored 26 on 8-13 from the floor, 9-11 from the line and 5 boards. Jody Potts scored 18 on 5-15 from the floor, 8-11 from the line, 9 boards and 3 assists. Lindsay Hewson scored 3, Leanne Shenton 2 and Jen Diana 2, while dishing 4 assists. Beckie MacDonald scored 12 off the bench, while Jamie Bell and Victoria McGroarty were scoreless. The Vikings shot 20-45 (.444) from the floor, 5-15 from the arc and 18-25 (.720) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, 14 fouls, 11 assists, 17 turnovers, 1 block and 3 steals, including 3 by Potts. Sheila Townsend and Erica McGuinness each scored 13 to pace U.B.C. Townsend was 5-12 from the floor and dished 4 assists. McGuinness was 5-10 from the floor and grabbed 4 boards. Kelsey Blair scored 10 on 5-12 from the floor, 9 boards and 5 assists. Cait Haggarty scored 7 on 3-7 from the floor, while Kim Howe scored 6 on 3-6 from the floor. Julie Little added 7 points off the bench, while Jane Meadwell and Caitlyn Pankratz were scoreless. The Thunderbirds hit 23-51 (.451) from the floor, 3-10 from the arc and 7-10 from the line, while garnering 26 boards, 20 fouls, 14 assists, 17 turnovers, 1 block and 8 steals. The Thunderbirds (coached by Deb Huband) also included Letah Beck, Tina Lum, Emily Beers and Caroline Horsley. Victoria overcame a 14-point second-half deficit to knock-off the Thunderbirds and grab the final berth from Canada West into the CIS national championship tournament in Winnipeg. Victoria was trailing 42-28 with 17 minutes left in the game when the Vikes went on a 19-6 run to close the gap to one point, 48-47, with just under 10 minutes remaining and it was game on. With 3:59 left in the game Victoria took its first lead, 56-55, and then the Vikes held the Thunderbirds to just a single point in the final four minutes of the game. Victoria held UBC to just 17-points on six-of-24 field goal shooting in the second half after Thunderbirds led 39-28 at the break. “It’s awesome. I feel really awesome right now,” Vikes forward Jania Mynott said. Vikes coach Brian Cheng said “Jania was terrific in the post. … and Jody Potts played lights out.” Cheng said the Vikes had a heart-to-heart chat at the half. “We said, ‘We just have to believe.’ If we believe, then the foundation’s set for wonderful things to happen.” The Vikes also changed up their defence, and UBC’s field goal percentage plummeted to 25 per cent. “We just kept coming back,” Cheng said. “We just wouldn’t die.”

In the final, Simon Fraser defeated Regina 65-60 as Devon Campbell scored 18 on 7-16 from the floor, 3-9 from the arc and 6 assists. Julia Wilson scored 17 on 4-10 from the floor, 9-10 from the line and 6 boards. Dani Langford scored 7 on 2-8 from the floor and 9 assists. Courtney Brown scored 6 on 3-5 from the floor. Morgan McLaughlin scored 4 and grabbed 6 boards. Laura Van den Boogard added 5 off the bench, while Maren Corrigal and Courtney Gerwing each scored 3. Lani Gibbons scored 2 while Kelsie Thu was scoreless. The Clan hit 22-53 (.415) from the floor, 7-23 (.304) from the arc and 14-19 (.737) from the line, while garnering 30 boards, 16 fouls, 16 assists, 13 turnovers, 1 block and 10 steals. Simon Fraser led 31-29 at the half. Chelsea Cassano led Regina with 15 points on 7-12 from the floor, 1-8 from the line, 8 boards and 3 assists. Lara Schmidt scored 13 on 6-10 from the floor. Megan Cherkas scored 7 on 3-8 from the floor. Leah Anderson scored 7 on 3-3 from the floor and 4 boards. Jana Schweitzer scored 6 on 2-9 from the floor, 8 boards, 9 assists and 4 steals. Lean Phillips added 4 off the bench, while Laura Hunko, Danny Ash, Meryl Jordan and Maja Kralovcova each scored 2. Shannon Funk and Emily Ross were scoreless. The Rams shot 26-51 (.510) from the floor, 2-6 from the arc and 6-18 from the line, while garnering 31 boards, 21 fouls, 19 assists, 16 turnovers and 7 steals. The Clan got huge back-to-back treys from Devon Campbell and then Dani Langford as part of an 11-2 second-half run. SFU was nursing a 40-39 lead with 14 minutes remaining before catching fire. “In the second half we came out much more aggressive and people did their jobs that they needed to do,” said SFU head coach Bruce Langford. “I thought Dani and Devon hit some big shots and made some key steals that kept our momentum going late in the game.” Langford hailed the Chancellor’s Gym crowd for their sixth-man role: “It certainly helped to have the crowd on our side. We got some stops, the crowd roared and everything started to snowball.” Cougar forward Maja Kralovcova said “it’s disappointing that we lost, but we didn’t play our best game – and we would have beaten them if we had. It gives us hope that we can beat them at nationals. It worked that way last year: We won the Canada West championship and then lost at nationals. It might be that way again.” Regina coach Jeff Speedy said “of course we’re disappointed, but defending our Canada West championship wasn’t a goal we set for ourselves at the start of the season. For us to come as far as we did after losing three games by like 90 points (to Winnipeg and SFU) in November is pretty good . . . Winning it would have been icing on the cake, but we’re pretty pleased when we look at the big picture.”

Following the season, University of Victoria coach Kathy Shields, who’d been on medical leave since 2001 while struggling with breast cancer announced that she was officially retiring as head coach of the Vikings. After eight months of intensive and successful cancer treatment, Shields was beset with a further health complication as she was diagnosed with osteoporosis of the spine, which had led to two spinal fractures. “This is a very sad day for me,” stated Shields, “I care deeply about the UVic program and have enjoyed 25 great coaching years at this school. My back condition is such that I simply cannot continue to coach at the university level and because of my love for the Vikes women’s basketball program, I know it is the right thing for me to step aside and allow UVic to move forward in appointing a full-time coach for our program.” Shields’ coaching career with the Vikes began in 1978. She has compiled a regular season record of 320 wins against only 50 losses in 370 games, for a winning percentage of .865%. Shields was named Canada West Coach of the Year eight times and CIS Coach of the Year on three occasions and in 1999-2000 received the 3M Coaching Award for Excellence. “Kathy’s record of coaching university women’s basketball is unparalleled” said Clint Hamilton, Director of Athletics and Recreation. “A true professional, Kathy maintained an unwavering commitment to excellence and a focus of developing young women into outstanding individuals with the result being an incredible record of success and achievement.” In addition to her coaching responsibilities at UVic, she has served as both head coach and assistant coach for the Canadian National Women’s Team. Shields is a member of the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame, UVic Sports Hall of Fame and Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame and was recently honoured by CIS with the renaming of the women’s basketball Rookie of the Year award to the Kathy Shields Rookie of the Year award. Interim coach Brian Cheng is subsequently appointed head coach of the Vikings. In May, Victoria announces that Cheng will be made the permanent head coach. “Our expectation of the Vikes women’s basketball program is to be a leader in Canadian University women’s basketball and Brian is intimately familiar with the tradition of our program and the enormous legacy left by Kathy Shields,” said athletic director Clint Hamilton. “I am very confident that Brian is prepared to accept and meet the challenges and expectations inherent in realizing this vision.” Prior to taking over as interim coach, he served as an assistant to Shields for five seasons.

Thompson Rivers announced that when it enters the league, Ken Olynyk, a former CIS coach of the year while steering the University of Toronto men, would guide the new unit. Olynyk, the athletic director at Thompson Rivers, said he’ll coach the squad for a year before opening up the competition to a national pool in a year. After reviewing several applications for the one-year position, Olynyk, whose extensive basketball background includes CIS, Canadian National Team, and NBA experience, decided this was the best option for the program this year. “I’m not taking anything away from any of the individuals who showed an interest in the position,” he said, “but I feel that having me coach for this year gives the Athletics Department an opportunity to ensure everyone interested in the full-time position next year will have the opportunity to make an application. We had some very good people express an interest. I expect this means that when the position is formally advertised in the early spring of 2006 we will receive interest from many people across the country.” Olynyk, who holds a master’s degree in education from the University of Victoria, has served in a variety of key positions related to basketball throughout his 30-year career. In the past 15 years, he held the position of head coach for the University of Toronto Varsity Blues basketball team, was observing coach for the Toronto Raptors, was head coach of Canada’s Under 22 National Team, assistant coach of Canada’s Men’s National Team for the World Championships, and was head coach of Canada’s Junior Men’s National Basketball Team.

The bronze medalist Victoria Vikings: Jania Mynott; Jody Potts; Lindsay Hewson; Leanne Shenton; Jen Diana; Beckie MacDonald; Jamie Bell; Victoria McGroarty; Schuylah Merrick; Krystal Hawksworthy; Allison Omland; coach Brian Cheng

The silver medalist Regina Cougars: Jana Schweitzer; Megan Cherkas; Danny Ash; Laura Hunko; Mallory Loire; Lara Schmidt; Leah Anderson; Leanne Phillips; Shannon Funk; Rebecca Schmidt; Meryl Jordan; Maja Kralovcova; Kayley Weisbrot; Chelsea Cassano; Emily Ross; coach Jeff Speedy; assistant Dave Taylor; assistant Amy Moroz; trainer Erin Walton; athletic director Dick White

The champion Simon Fraser Clan: Dani Langford; Julia Wilson; Courtney Brown; Morgan McLaughlin; Kelsie Thu; Maren Corrigal; Devon Campbell; Courtney Gerwing; Lani Gibbons; Laura Van Den Boogard; coach Bruce Langford; assistant Kerry Rokosh; assistant John Prescott; assistant Teresa Kleindienst; athletic director Wilf Wedmann