SASKATOON, Sask. - The No. 5 ranked University of Alberta Pandas walked away with a commanding 67-46 win over the No. 4 ranked University of Saskatchewan Huskies in Game 1 of the Central Division women's basketball final Friday night in Saskatoon at the PAC.

Alberta was able to hold the Huskies to less than 11 points in three of the four quarters - 11 in the second and 10 in both the third and fourth. The Huskies shot just 27.4%, and a meager 16.7% from the arc hitting just three of 18 attempts. The Huskies also had trouble with turnovers handing the Pandas the ball 26 times in the game. Alberta was more solid shooting 41.5% and 42.1% on three-point shots.

The Huskies, who have played Alberta in the last two central division finals, have never won a Game 1 in the series. They've gone on to win Game 2 in the last two season's against Alberta before falling in Game 3. In 2005-06, the Huskies won both Game 2 and 3 over the University of Calgary Dinos to win the series and go on to win the Canada West Championship.

"We really got passive in the second half and when we had opportunities to close the gap we couldn't get the ball inside," said Huskie head coach Lisa Thomaidis. "We weren't shooting as well as we usually do. We are looking forward to getting back on the court in Game 2 and playing more like we have all season."

Throughout the first half, the Huskies were with the Pandas point-for-point and even held the lead in the game until the 3:37 mark of the first quarter. A shot at the buzzer from centre court from Huskie Jill Humbert put her team down 16-15 heading into the second quarter.

It was in the second quarter that Alberta started to pull away. They took a 21-20 lead on a jump shot by Anneka Bakker and never looked back keeping the lead for the remainder of the game. They held a five point, 31-26, edge heading into the second half.

The Pandas jumped on the board first in the third quarter with four points to start and they grew their mounting lead to 15 at one point in the quarter. The Huskies continued to have trouble finding the net, allowing Alberta to pull ahead by 20 and eventually take the 67-46 win.

Wigg scored a game-high 15 points for the Pandas. Three more Pandas were in double digits on the night - Emily Bolduc had 13, followed by Kristin Jarock with 12 and Katie Barrett with 11. Humbert led the Huskies with 10 points followed by Jana Spindler with nine.

Game 2 tip off is set for 7 p.m. Saturday. Game 3, if necessary, is 4 p.m. Sunday. Both games are the PAC in Saskatoon. The winner of the series will advance to the Canada West Final Four next weekend.

Source:

Nicole Betker
University of Saskatchewan