Action tipped off at the 2024 Canada West women’s basketball championships at the UFV Athletic Centre on Wednesday (Feb. 21), with play-in games eliminating four teams from the 12-team event.
There are four teams – the Saskatchewan Huskies, UBC Thunderbirds, Calgary Dinos and UFV Cascades – that have received byes and open the tournament today (Thursday).
GAME 1: ALBERTA PANDAS – 59 MOUNT ROYAL COUGARS – 53
Game one of the single-elimination tournament saw the sixth-ranked Alberta Pandas take down the MRU Cougars.
Alberta was led by guard Jenna Harpe, who scored 14 points and also had a strong game from forward Claire Signatovich (12 points and 11 rebounds). MRU’s top scorer was forward Nora Luca, who collected a game-high 17 points.
WBB | PANDAS ADVANCE 🐼
— Canada West (@CanadaWest) February 21, 2024
A double-double from CW Defensive Player of the Year Claire Signatovich pushes @pandasbball past MRU 59-53!
Alberta advances to take on Calgary tomorrow at 1 p.m. PT. pic.twitter.com/HV1wvlNrry
Both teams struggled from the field, with Alberta shooting just 28.6 per cent and MRU at 27.2. The Cougars also committed 32 turnovers in the loss.
Alberta now takes on provincial rival the Calgary Dinos today at 1 p.m. The third-ranked Dinos defeated Alberta 72-65 on Dec. 1 in Calgary, but then the Pandas earned a 69-49 win on Dec. 2.
GAME 2: VICTORIA VIKES – 54 LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS – 43
The Vikes got contributions of at least nine points from four of the team’s starters to eliminate Lethbridge.
Forward Abigail Becker poured in 13 points on five of six shooting, added eight rebounds and had two blocks to lead the Vikes. Victoria also got 11 points and nine rebounds from Makenna Anderson. Mimi Seuge and Yale Secondary grad Tana Pankratz also contributed with nine points.
Tip-off for game two of the @CanadaWest women’s basketball championships play-ins featuring @uvicvikes and @UofLPronghorns here at @goUFV #Abbotsford pic.twitter.com/KdfkKawOdw
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) February 21, 2024
Vikes guard Karis De Paiva also grabbed 13 rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench. Yale Secondary grad Brooklyn White also grabbed four rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench.
The Pronghorns top scorer was forward Kennedy Blaskin off the bench with 10 points and six rebounds. Both teams struggled from the field, as Lethbridge shot 25.8 per cent and Victoria finished at 28.1 per cent.
Victoria advances to the quarterfinal today to take on the second-ranked UBC Thunderbirds today at 3 p.m. The T-Birds beat Victoria 70-51 on Nov. 23 and then 72-52 on Nov. 25 in the provincial capital.
GAME 3: REGINA COUGARS – 71 MANITOBA BISONS – 45
Regina jumped out to a 10-point lead after the first quarter and cruised to a lopsided win over the Bisons.
CW player of the year and Regina star Jade Belmore led all players with 22 points and added four rebounds. Guards Dayna Pearce and Kianna Wiens added 11 and 10 points respectively. The Cougars shot 36 per cent from the field in the win and spread the ball around with 22 assists as a team.
WBB | COUGARS ADVANCE 😸
— Canada West (@CanadaWest) February 22, 2024
Jade Belmore with a huge performance on the day she was named CW Player of the Year, pouring in a game high 22 PTS in a 71-45 victory over Manitoba!
Next up: The @ReginaCougars take on host UFV in the quarter-finals tomorrow at 6 p.m. PT. pic.twitter.com/M8DfBMsR5g
Manitoba had 10 points from Emerson Martin and Autumn Agar. The Bisons shot just 23.6 from the field and also turned the ball over 27 times.
Regina now meets the host UFV Cascades, who finished the CW regular season ranked fourth. UFV defeated Regina 79-72 on Nov. 24, but the Cougars earned a 78-76 win on Nov. 25. Both of those games occurred in Saskatchewan.
GAME 4: UBCO HEAT – 63 TWU SPARTANS – 57
The Heat outscored the Spartans by a combined 13 points in the second and third quarters to advance to the quarterfinals.
UBCO forward Jaeli Ibbetson had a spectacular game with 21 points and 16 rebounds, while Kelsey Falk added 14 points and 12 boards for the Heat. UBCO shot 31.3 per cent from the field and also made 18 of 22 from the free throw line.
WBB | HEAT ADVANCE 🔥
— Canada West (@CanadaWest) February 22, 2024
Our final play-in game of the day sees the @UBCOHeat slide past Trinity Western 63-57!
Jaeli Ibbetson led the way with 21 PTS, sending the Heat to the quarter-finals tomorrow night against Saskatchewan. #WinTheWest pic.twitter.com/L0h0v0XBQw
The Spartans were led by Robert Bateman Secondary grad Jayden Gill, who had 18 points and five rebounds. MEI grad Gracie Corneau added 13 for TWU.
Both teams shot relatively well, with TWU making 34.9 per cent of their shots and UBCO at 31.3. The Heat out rebounded the Spartans 51-38 and dominated the offensive glass with an 18-10 offensive rebound edge.
The Heat now take on the first-ranked Saskatchewan Huskies tonight at 8 p.m. Saskatchewan defeated UBCO 89-63 on Jan. 12 and then 88-48 on Jan. 13. Both of those games occurred in Saskatoon.
Continue visiting abbynews.com for more coverage of the tournament.