| (1) | Carleton | 56 | |||||
| (8) | Cape Breton | 51 | Carleton | 65 | |||
| (4) | Saint Mary’s | 70 | Saint Mary’s | 46 | Carleton | 71 | |
| (5) | Calgary | 68 | |||||
| —–CARLETON | |||||||
| (2) | Alberta | 61 | |||||
| (7) | Acadia | 57 | Alberta | 62 | Queen’s | 59 | |
| (3) | Queen’s | 75 | Queen’s | 72 | |||
| (6) | U.Q.A.M. | 72 |
SEEDING
1. Carleton Ravens (OUA champions: 19-3 regular season / 3-0 playoffs)
2. Alberta Pandas (Canada West champs: 15-5 regular season / 3-0 playoffs)
3. Queen’s Gaels (OUA runner-up: 21-1 regular season / 2-1 playoffs)
4. St. Mary’s Huskies (AUS champs: 15-5 regular season / 2-0 playoffs)
5. Calgary Dinos (Canada West runner-up: 13-7 regular season / 2-1 playoffs)
6. U.Q.A.M. Citadins (RSEQ champs: 9-7 regular season / 2-0 playoffs)
7. Acadia Axewomen (wild card – AUS finalist / 16-3 regular season / 1-1 playoffs)
8. Cape Breton Capers (host – AUS quarter-finalist / 9-11 regular season / 0-1 playoffs)
In the annual wild card controversy, the Acadia Axewomen were granted the berth, giving Atlantic University Sport three representatives in the draw.
In the quarterfinals, held in Sydney, the 3rd-seeded Queen’s Gaels edged the 6th-seeded Universite du Quebec @ Montreal Citadins 75-72 in overtime as Bridget Mulholland took command in the extra session, notching 8 points. The Citadins led 21-19, 41-37 and 55-53 at the quarters and then expanded their lead to 6 before a late 6-0 run by the Gaels knotted at 65 after regulation. Mulholland hit 3-4 from the floor and 2-2 from the line in overtime, while the Gaels benefitted from seeing Citadin player of the game Fredlyn Verrier foul out. “I thought it was a gritty win,” said Gaels coach Claire Meadows. “We weathered a lot of different storms throughout the game and I thought we did a really good job closing out the game and then taking care of business in overtime.” Emma Weltz paced the Gaels with 29 on 10-18 from the floor, 4-5 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 4 boards and 4 steals. Bridget Mulholland added 12 on 4-9 from the floor, 4-6 from the line, 15 boards and 4 assists. Julia Chadwick notched 11 on 4-14 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 6 boards and 2 assists. Isabella Belvedere scored 8 on 3-7 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Mikayla McFarlane added 6 on 1-4 from the floor, 4-5 from the line and 4 boards. Isabella Gaudet scored 5 on 2-6 from the floor and 1-4 from the arc. Laura Donovan added 2 on 1-6 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 3 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Michelle Istead scored 2 on 2-2 from the line and 2 boards, while Haley Barbieri was scoreless. The Gaels hit 25-64 (.391) from the floor, 5-19 (.263) from the arc and 20-25 (.800) from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 13 assists, 22 turnovers, 2 blocks and 13 steals. Fredlyn Verrier paced the Citadins with 19 on 9-13 from the floor, 1-1 from the line, 9 boards, 2 assists and 5 steals. Fredlaine Verrier added 17 on 6-16 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4-4 from the line, 10 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Paule-Beline Ibata-Pondza notched 12 on 5-11 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 6 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Yasmine Gasmi scored 11 on 4-15 from the floor and 3-11 from the arc. Alexe Dufresne added 10 on 2-9 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 6-6 from the line, 2 boards and 7 assists. Mary-Tracy Cilien scored 2 on 0-3 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 2-2 from the line. Elisa Haberzettel added 1 on 0-1 from the floor and 1-2 from the line, while Hardyna Duverger was scoreless. The Citadins hit 26-68 (.382) from the floor, 5-18 (.278) from the arc and 15-17 (.882) from the line, while garnering 28 boards, including 21 on the offensive glass, 22 fouls, 16 assists, 18 turnovers, 1 block and 13 steals. The Citadins (coach Renald Maignan, assistant Gerry Neree, therapist Anthanasio Destounis, trainer Tarik Azlag, trainer Yianni Kyriacou, therapist Philippe Hage-Moussa) also included Rachel Paradis and Judith Lavoie.
The 2nd-seeded Alberta Pandas edged the 7th-seeded Acadia Axewomen 61-57 after closing out the affair with a 17-0 run. The Axewomen led 13-11, 27-25 and 49-39 at the quarters. The Pandas trailed 57-44 with 7:17 to play but held the Axewomen scoreless down the stretch. Jenna Harpe, who was chosen player of the game for the Pandas, said “to be honest, we struggled for the first three quarters. But I’m just proud of how relentless we were. We did not give up. Even being down 13, we knew we had a comeback in us. … Our defence was the big reason we came back. We switched it up to a zone, and started getting the steals and stops we needed.” Pandas coach Scott Edwards said “Jenna had one of the best games of her life today. She refused to lose. We needed somebody to step up, and it was her. There is no quit in this team. There was some doubt in the fourth quarter, but never quit. And once we made a couple shots and had some stops on defence in the fourth, that belief started to come back.” Elisabeth Iseyemi was chosen player of the game for the Axewomen. Jenna Harpe paced the Pandas with 29 on 10-21 from the floor, 3-7 from the arc, 6-9 from the line, 3 boards, 3 assists and 4 steals. Claire Signatovich added 10 on 3-1 from the floor, 4-6 from the line, 11 boards and 2 blocks. Morgan Harris notched 8 on 2-6 from the floor, 4-4 from the line, 5 boards and 3 assists. Jenna Karach scored 5 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 3 boards. Jayden Tanner added 4 on 2-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2 steals. Kiah Easton-Ihediohanma scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 2 boards. Reece Hall added 2 on 1-1 from the floor, 6 boards and 2 blocks. Emma Kary scored 1 on 0-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals, while Shae McCusker and Rylee Semeniuk were scoreless. McCusker nabbed 5 boards. The Pandas hit 20-64 (.313) from the floor, 3-15 (.200) from the arc and 18-25 (.720) from the line, while garnering 41 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 11 fouls, 12 assists, 17 turnovers, 6 blocks and 10 steals. Elisabeth Iseyemi paced the Axewomen with 14 on 7-17 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 5 boards, 2 assists and 4 steals. Julia Sylvester added 11 on 5-8 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Haley McDonald notched 10 on 3-8 from the floor, 2-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 8 boards and 2 assists. Sarah Delorey scored 10 on 5-9 from the floor and 9 boards. Sophie Atkinson added 6 on 3-7 from the floor and 0-2 from the line. Bianca Helmig scored 3 on 1-10 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 6 boards and 3 assists. Sandy Saunders added 3 on 1-8 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc and 6 boards, while Olivia Moller and Samantha Russell were scoreless. Russell nabbed 8 boards, dished 4 assists and pilfered 3 balls. The Axewomen hit 25-78 (.321) from the floor, 3-24 (.125) from the arc and 4-8 from the line, while garnering 47 boards, including 17 on the offensive glass, 16 fouls, 13 assists, 16 turnovers and 12 steals. The Axewomen (coach Len Harvey, assistant Lindsay Harris) also included Megan Hebert, Amelie Bouchard, Ryan George, Jewel Woolfitt, Taya Dixon and Tegan Reynolds.
The 4th-seeded Saint Mary’s Huskies edged the 5th-seeded Calgary Dinos 70-68 after leading 12-11, 29-28 and 45-43 at the quarters. The Dinos trailed 47-43 but ripped off a 13-3 run and took a 56-50 lead with 5:29 to play on a Mackenzie Trpcic runner. The Huskies countered with their own 8-0 run to take a 58-56 lead with 3:10 to play. Calgary answered with a bucket from Madison Landry and a pair of free throws from Amelie Collin but Huskie Lucina Beaumont notched a trey to give Saint Mary’s the lead for good. Pollyanna Storie notched a late trey for the Dinos but the Huskies iced the win at the free throw line. Dinos coach Damian Jennings said “it’s a two-point game, but at the end of the day, there were just some clinical moments where we couldn’t contain one-on-one and they were able to get to the line. We went on good runs and then we wouldn’t look after the ball well enough. This is what you have to do at the national-championship level. It’s a very physical game – a lot of play is going to happen and we just needed to be more clinical in those moments.” Sophia Widmeyer was chosen player of the game for the Huskies, while Amelie Collin earned the laurels for the Dinos. Sophia Widmeyer paced the Huskies with 16 on 5-16 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 4-5 from the line and 2 boards. Lucina Beaumont added 13 on 5-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 1-4 from the line, 7 boards and 2 steals. Clara Gascoigne notched 11 on 3-13 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 4-8 from the line, 9 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Alaina McMillan scored 11 on 2-9 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 6 boards and 4 assists. Courtney Donaldson added 9 on 1-7 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 6-8 from the line, 5 boards and 2 assists. Aki Kobayashi scored 4 on 2-5 from the floor and 3 assists. Katelyn Power added 3 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 boards. Sarah Forgie scored 3 on 1-3 from the arc. The Huskies hit 20-64 (.313) from the floor, 9-30 (.300) from the arc and 21-33 (.636) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 11 fouls, 12 assists, 12 turnovers and 9 blocks. Pollyanna Storie paced the Dinos with 12 on 5-7 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc and 4 boards. Mya Proctor added 11 on 5-8 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 3 boards and 3 assists. Amelie Collin notched 11 on 4-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 blocks. Annacy Palmer scored 9 on 4-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 blocks. Madison Landry added 8 on 4-7 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc and 4 boards. Bobbi-Jo Colburn scored 5 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 5 boards. Myriam Kone added 4 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 5 boards and 3 assists. Mackenzie Trpcic scored 2 on 1-5 from the floor and 3 boards, while Sydney Milum, Louise Rouse and Elina Agnese Siceva were scoreless. The Dinos hit 27-57 (.474) from the floor, 4-10 from the arc and 10-13 (.769) from the line, while garnering 33 boards, including 7 on the offensive glass, 21 fouls, 13 assists, 21 turnovers, 3 blocks and 5 steals. The Dinos (coach Damian Jennings, assistant Sarah Neufeld, assistant Mason Foreman, assistant Leo Rincon, assistant Veronika Lavergne, assistant Reyna Crawford, strength & conditioning Rich Hesketh, shooting Ben Dowell, assistant strength & conditioning Tamara Jarrett, therapist Bonnie Sutter, student therapist Celena Davis) also included Tatum Wade, Kennedy Hollinger, Milican Gajic, Lily Pink, Jordan Kemper, Lilia Skumatova, Megan Weisgerber and Anastasia Soltas were scoreless.
In the last quarterfinal, the top-seeded Carleton Ravens edged the 8th-seeded host Cape Breton Capers 56-51. The Capers led 14-11 after one quarter. The Ravens led 30-29 at the half and 44-34 after three quarters. The momentum appeared to shift in the Ravens favour late in the second quarter when Teresa Donato, who was chosen player of the game for Carleton, pilfered the ball for a runout. “I think what saved us was the last few minutes of the second quarter, we were down double digits, and that is where Teresa Donato came in and changed the game for us,” said Ravens coach Dani Sinclair. Dorcas Guisa paced the Ravens with 20 on 9-20 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 11 boards. Kali Pocrnic added 15 on 6-22 from the floor, 0-9 from the arc, 3-4 from the line, 3 boards and 4 assists. Teresa Donato notched 13 on 6-16 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 6 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Jacqueline Urban scored 4 on 2-9 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc and 13 boards. Emma Kiesekamp added 2 on 0-7 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Kyana Jade Poulin scored 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 4 boards, while Oceane Kounkou, Zerina Duvnjak and Kinly Rice were scoreless. Duvnjak nabbed 4 boards. The Ravens hit 24-80 (.300) from the floor, 2-21 (.095) from the arc and 6-9 from the line, while garnering 44 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 12 fouls, 7 assists, 11 turnovers and 7 steals. Kiyara Letlow paced the Capers with 9 on 4-7 from the floor, 1-2 from the line, 19 boards, 4 assists and 2 blocks. Darah Fleurgin added 9 on 3-7 from the floor, 3-7 from the line, 6 boards, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Mackenzee Ryan notched 9 on 3-11 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 2 steals. Chermensa Van La Parra scored 9 on 4-14 from the floor, 0-6 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 2 boards and 3 assists. Hannah Smith added 8 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 3-3 from the line and 2 boards. Hailey Macleod scored 7 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-4 from the line and 12 boards, while Leandra Hersey was scoreless. The Capers hit 19-54 (.352) from the floor, 3-20 (.150) from the arc and 10-20 from the line, while garnering 42 boards, including 9 on the offensive glass, 12 fouls, 13 assists, 22 turnovers, 5 blocks and 5 steals. The Capers (coach Fabian McKenzie, assistant Doug Connors) also included Abby Linehan, Kristen Taylor, Rhianna MacDonald, Claudia Pellerin, Catherine Lallemant-Capocci and Eirin Vreim Holm.
In the semis, the 3rd-seeded Queen’s Gaels clipped the 2nd-seeded Alberta Pandas 72-62. In the turnover-plagued first half, the Pandas broke to an 11-2 lead but the Gaels rallied to within 14-13 after one quarter. Alberta extended its margin to 34-30 heading into the lockers but Laura Donovan nailed a pair of treys as the Gaels took a 51-48 lead after three quarters. The Gaels kept draining treys and clamped down on defense as they maintained their edged and then iced it with another dagger from Donovan, who said “it felt amazing, I can’t even put words to it. When we were on the court with 14 seconds left and we were up by eight, I looked at a couple of my teammates and we all got chills just thinking about the fact that we’ve worked so hard for this. It’s been our goal since the beginning of the year. I’m just so proud of everybody. Having the experience of playing in tight, intense games that have a lot on the line, that experience comes in handy, especially when it comes to close games. We just have to remember to have fun and play our game.” Gaels coach Claire Meadows said “I thought it was a great basketball game. They shot over 50 per cent from the floor in the first half so we knew we had to tighten up our D, and that was the approach that we took in the second half. And then we obviously had some shots fall as well and that always helps. … This group has put in a ton of work, they’re deserving of this opportunity. We had a great season, and the season that we had lined us up to get to this spot. I’m super proud of them.” Pandas coach Scott Edwards said “they made shots and we didn’t, it was as simple as that. But credit to our team for not collapsing in the fourth quarter when they started to hit threes. They are such a gutty team.” Donovan was chosen player of the game for the Gaels, while Emma Kary earned the laurels for the Pandas. Laura Donovan paced the Gaels with 21 on 7-13 from the floor, 6-10 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Bridget Mulholland added 13 on 6-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 10 boards and 3 assists. Julia Chadwick notched 12 on 4-17 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 4-6 from the line, 11 boards, 2 assists and 3 steals. Mikayla McFarlane scored 9 on 3-5 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 2 boards and 2 steals. Isabella Gaudet added 8 on 2-3 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards and 2 steals. Isabella Belvedere notched 4 on 1-8 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc and 1-2 from the line. Haley Barbieri added 3 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc and 2 boards. Emma Weltz scored 2 on 1-8 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 6 boards and 6 assists, while Aluel Achik and Michelle Istead were scoreless. The Gaels hit 25-67 (.373) from the floor, 12-25 (.480) from the floor and 10-16 (.625) from the line, while garnering 35 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 13 fouls, 14 assists, 17 turnovers, 2 blocks and 10 steals. Claire Signatovich paced the Pandas with 15 on 7-13 from the floor, 1-1 from the line, 10 boards and 3 blocks. Jenna Harpe added 15 on 5-18 from the floor, 0-5 from the arc, 5-6 from the line, 2 boards, 5 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Emma Kary notched 15 on 6-9 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-5 from the line, 4 boards and 2 steals. Morgan Harris scored 9 on 4-7 from the floor and 1-2 from the line. Shae McCusker added 3 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-2 from the line and 3 boards. Jenna Karach scored 2 on 1-1 from the floor. Reece Hall added 1 on 0-1 from the floor and 1-2 from the line, while Kiah Easton-Ihediohanma and Rylee Semeniuk were scoreless. Easton-Ihediohanma nabbed 2 boards. The Pandas hit 25-59 (.424) from the floor, 1-11 (.091) from the arc and 11-18 (.611) from the line, while garnering 29 boards, including 4 on the offensive glass, 19 fouls, 8 assists, 14 turnovers, 7 blocks and 8 steals.
In the other semi, the top-seeded Carleton Ravens whipped the 4th-seeded Saint Mary’s Huskies 65-46. The score was knotted at 13 after one quarter. The Ravens led 36-26 at the half and 53-36 after three quarters. After a tentative start by both teams, Carleton began dominating the offensive glass and their trademark stingy defence left the Huskies with few options. Saint Mary’s was further hampered by an injury to Clara Gascoigne in the second quarter, while the Ravens kept draining timely treys as they extended their lead to double digits at the half. They took command by opening the second half with a 7-2 run. Kali Pocrnic was chosen player of the game for the Ravens, while Sophia Widmeyer earned the laurels for the Huskies. Kali Pocrnic paced the Ravens with 17 on 6-15 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 5-6 from the line and 7 assists. Kyana Jade Poulin added 11 on 4-11 from the floor, 3-8 from the arc, 5 boards and 3 assists. Dorcas Buisa notched 9 on 3-10 from the floor, 3-8 from the line, 10 boards and 2 assists. Jacqueline Urban scored 8 on 4-10 from the floor, 0-1 from the arc, 10 boards and 2 steals. Zerina Duvnjak added 8 on 3-6 from the floor, 2-2 from the line and 11 boards. Emma Kiesekamp scored 6 on 1-3 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 3-4 from the line and 9 boards. Teresa Donato added 6 on 2-12 from the floor and 2-6 from the arc, while Oceane Kounkou, Kayla Brutus, Gabrielle Francis and Kinly Rice were scoreless. The Ravens hit 23-69 (.333) from the floor, 6-21 (.286) from the arc and 13-20 (.650) from the line, while garnering 47 boards, including 16 on the offensive glass, 18 fouls, 12 assists, 12 turnovers, 4 blocks and 7 steals. Sophia Widmeyer paced the Huskies with 16 on 5-15 from the floor, 1-7 from the arc, 5-7 from the line and 8 boards. Aki Kobayashi added 6 on 1-4 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 4-4 from the line and 5 boards. Courtney Donaldson notched 6 on 2-5 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-4 from the line and 5 boards. Sarah Forgie scored 6 on 2-5 from the arc, 5 boards and 2 assists. Alaina McMillan added 5 on 1-7 from the floor, 1-8 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 3 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Lucina Beaumont scored 5 on 2-11 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 8 boards and 3 blocks, while Katelyn Power, Aiyanna Empringham, Marlo Steenbakkers and Isabella Mackay were scoreless. Power nabbed 2 boards. The Huskies hit 14-66 (.212) from the floor, 4-30 (.133) from the arc and 14-19 (.737) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 12 on the offensive glass, 15 fouls, 9 assists, 15 turnovers, 3 blocks and 4 steals.
In the bronze medal match, the 2nd-seeded Alberta Pandas clubbed the 4th-seeded Saint Mary’s Huskies 64-49. The Pandas broke to a 7-0 lead but the Huskies rallied with their own 7-0 run by capitalizing on Alberta turnovers to knot the score at 17 after one quarter. Alberta opened the second quarter with a 12-0 run but the Huskies countered with a late 9-0 run to draw within 34-27 at the half. The Pandas led 49-37 after three quarters and iced it with a 9-0 run over the final four minutes of play. Morgan Harris was chosen player of the game for the Pandas, while Marlo Steenbakkers earned the laurels for the Huskies. Jenna Harpe paced the Pandas with 17 on 7-16 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards and 3 steals. Emma Kary added 11 on 4-18 from the floor, 3-10 from the arc, 8 boards and 2 blocks. Morgan Harris notched 8 on 3-3 from the floor, 2-2 from the arc, 3 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Claire Signatovich scored 7 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-4 from the line, 10 boards and 5 blocks. Kiah Easton-Ihediohanma added 7 on 2-6 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line and 3 boards. Shae McCusker scored 6 on 3-3 from the floor and 5 boards. Jayden Tanner notched 4 on 2-4 from the floor and 0-1 from the arc. Reece Hall added 2 on 1-2 from the floor and 2 assists. Rylee Semeniuk scored 2 on 2-2 from the line and 3 assists, while Jenna Karach was scoreless. The Pandas hit 25-62 (.403) from the floor, 7-21 from the arc and 7-10 from the line, while garnering 38 boards, including 8 on the offensive glass, 10 fouls, 15 assists, 20 turnovers, 8 blocks and 8 steals. Alaina McMillan paced the Huskies with 13 on 6-18 from the floor, 1-9 from the arc, 0-1 from the line, 9 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Lucina Beaumont added 12 on 4-18 from the floor, 2-8 from the arc, 2-4 from the line, 6 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Marlo Steenbakkers notched 10 on 4-8 from the floor, 2-4 from the arc and 4 boards. Katelyn Power scored 8 on 3-4 from the floor, 1-1 from the arc, 1-2 from the line and 4 boards. Aki Kobayashi added 4 on 1-6 from the floor, 0-2 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 2 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. Sophia Widmeyer scored 2 on 1-12 from the floor, 0-4 from the arc, 3 boards and 2 assists, while Courtney Donaldson, Sarah Forgie and Aiyanna Empringham were scoreless. Donaldson nabbed 3 boards, dished 2 assists and pilfered 2 balls. Forgie nabbed 3 boards. The Huskies hit 19-74 (.257) from the floor, 6-34 (.176) from the arc and 5-9 (.556) from the line, while garnering 34 boards, including 13 on the offensive glass, 12 fouls, 13 assists, 20 turnovers and 10 steals. The Huskies (coach Scott Munro, assistant Chad Wadden, assistant Les Berry, assistant Kara Hayes, strength & conditioning Erik Richard) also included Sarah Burnell, Isabella MacKay, Kristin Holt, Georgia Williams and Chloe Wilson.
In the final, the top-seeded Carleton Ravens dispatched the 3rd-seeded Queen’s Gaels 71-59 as Carleton completed a uSports men’s/women’s double for the first time since 1985. The Gaels dominated the offensive glass as they took a 16-14 lead after one quarter. They extended their margin to 31-26 at the half after draining several treys. Carleton took command in the third quarter and led 46-38 heading into the final frame. The Gaels rallied within 5 on a trey by Bridget Mulholland but the Ravens responded with an 8-2 run to ice it. Tournament MVP Kali Pocrnic said “words can’t describe what I’m feeling right now. We’ve been battling with Queen’s since the beginning of the year – this was our fourth time playing them and it’s always been tough – but our team, give them credit, it’s an amazing group of girls and I love them to death. … We were motivated to win. We know Queen’s has an amazing team – we have to give them lots of credit – but we were motivated to just play for each other and that was the difference for us.” Ravens coach Dani Sinclair said “it still feels surreal. So much goes into the preparation for the tournament and a playoff run. I’m still in a bit of shock. … Defensively, we try to pride ourselves in making teams do what they don’t want to do, but they were pretty comfortable in the first half. This is a special group, with some very young players. We have three freshmen who play a lot of minutes.” Sinclair added that in the first half, “we try to pride ourselves on making things tough for the other teams and we weren’t doing that. We told the girls it is what it is, but if we didn’t change the way we were playing, Queen’s would be going home with a championship – the girls absolutely changed their ways and we were able to get back in the game.” Gaels coach Claire Meadows told gogaelsgo.com that “this stings, but we have to understand what we’ve done in the last two years. I think we’ve really changed the program in terms of what we do, how we do it, how people view us. … I thought it was a great basketball game. They shot over 50 per cent from the floor in the first half, so we knew we had to tighten up our D, and that was the approach that we took in the second half. And then we obviously had some shots fall as well and that always helps.” Laura Donovan was chosen player of the game for the Gaels, who ended their season with a 25-3 overall record, with all three losses coming to Carleton. Kali Pocrnic paced the Ravens with 20 on 5-12 from the floor, 1-4 from the arc, 9-13 from the line, 2 boards, 8 assists and 2 steals. Teresa Donato added 14 on 6-17 from the floor, 1-8 from the arc, 1-2 from the line, 4 boards and 2 assists. Dorcas Buisa notched 12 on 5-11 from the floor, 0-3 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 4 boards and 4 assists. Emma Kiesekamp scored 11 on 3-8 from the floor, 1-3 from the arc, 4-6 from the line and 10 boards. Kyala Jade Poulin added 7 on 3-7 from the floor, 1-5 from the arc, 6 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. Jacqueline Urban scored 7 on 3-10 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 10 boards and 3 blocks, while Zerina Duvnjak, Kayla Brutus and Gabrielle Francis were scoreless. Duvnjak nabbed 4 boards. The Ravens hit 25-66 (.379) from the floor, 5-25 (.200) from the arc and 16-23 (.696) from the line, while garnering 40 boards, including 11 on the offensive glass, 11 fouls, 17 assists, 7 turnovers, 5 blocks and 5 steals. Laura Donovan paced the Gaels with 23 on 7-16 from the floor, 5-10 from the arc, 4-5 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Bridget Mulholland added 17 on 6-13 from the floor, 3-4 from the arc, 2-2 from the line, 6 boards and 2 steals. Isabella Belvedere notched 7 on 3-10 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 2 boards and 2 assists. Isabella Gaudet scored 6 on 2-9 from the floor, 1-6 from the arc, 1-1 from the line, 2 boards and 2 assists. Emma Weltz added 3 on 1-6 from the floor, 1-2 from the arc, 8 boards and 2 assists. Mikayla McFarlane scored 2 on 1-3 from the floor and 2 boards. Haley Barbieri added 1 on 0-1 from the arc and 1-2 from the line, while Julia Chadwick and Michelle Istead were scoreless. Chadwick nabbed 12 boards and dished 4 assists but was 0-12 from the floor. The Gaels hit 20-70 (.286) from the floor, 11-31 (.355) from the arc and 8-10 from the line, while garnering 36 boards, including 10 on the offensive glass, 20 fouls, 15 assists, 9 turnovers and 6 steals.
The all-tournament team featured MVP Kali Pocrnic (Carleton); Dorcas Buisa (Carleton); Laura Donovan (Queen’s); Bridget Mulholland (Queen’s); and Jenna Harpe (Alberta).
The bronze medalist Alberta Pandas: Neve Murray; Shae McCusker; Kiah Easton-Ihediohanma; Reece Hall; Jenna Harpe; Nadeen Wu; Abby Morrison; Rylee Semeniuk; Emma Kary; Morgan Harris; Elise Toogood; Julia Strigl; Dakota Wedman; Claire Signatovich; Jayden White; Jayden Tanner; Jenna Karach; coach Scott Edwards; associate Isabel Ormond; assistant Brianna Fehr; assistant Kelly Haggstrom; assistant Lauren Mattson; therapist Sydney Dick; student therapist Kristen Mah; student therapist Aaliyah Rabeen; student therapist Hannah Smith; mental skills Brea McLaughlin; mental skills Craig Hordal; strength & conditioning Eric Golberg
The silver medalist Queen’s Gaels: Amy Hagman; Haley Barbieri; Aluel Achiek; Allison Smith; Lireesa Gokhool-Jefferson; Emma Weltz; Michael Istead; Isabella Gaudet; Laura Donovan; Isabella Belvedere; Julia Chadwick; Mikayla McFarlane; Abbey Hetherington; Bridget Mulholland; coach Claire Meadows; assistant Wumi Agunbiade; assistant Willaim Featherstonhaugh; assistant Jessica Love; assistant Adam Lynn; assistant Emma Ritcey; student trainer Marly Danford; student trainer Natalie Pryor; student trainer Victoria Frowen; student trainer Gillian Peterson
The champion Carleton Ravens: Kali Pocrnic; Tamia Laborde-Sutton; Sierra Peck; Emma Kiesekamp; Gabrielle Francis; Oceane Kounkou; Zerina Duvnjak; Kyana-Jade Poulin; Marijke Duralia; Kayla Brutus; Teresa Donato; Jacqueline Urban; Florence Fortin; Dorcas Buisa; Kinly Rice; coach Dani Sinclair; assistant Michelle Abella; assistant Dean Petridis; assistant Mackenzie Ash-Smith; director of operations Dave Smart; physican Lindsay Bradley