HAMILTON, Ont. - With an 82-62 win over the Saskatchewan Huskies on Saturday, the Windsor Lancers became the first Ontario team to advance to the university women's basketball final in 12 years.
The young Lancers' superior rebounding and three-point shooting made the difference in their semi-final win at the national championships, held at McMaster University. Windsor made nine of 20 three-point attempts, compared with just three buckets from beyond the arc for the Huskies. And they outrebounded the Huskies 48-37.
Saskatchewan had difficulty containing six-foot-three rookie Jessica Clemencon, Windsor's biggest offensive threat. Clemencon lead the Lancers with 16 points, while teammate Miah-Marie Langlios had 15. Four other Windsor players - Shavaun Reaney, Emily Abbott, Bojana Kovacevic and Iva Peklova - finished with double-digit point totals.
Neither team was able to establish an advantage early on, with both teams trading chances. Windsor led 21-18 after the first quarter.
But the game opened up in the second quarter, with the Lancers going on an eight-point run early, followed by a six-point run for the Huskies later in the quarter. Windsor opened up a 42-33 lead by halftime.
The Lancers turned on their three-point shooting early in the third quarter, sinking three from beyond the arc in the first three minutes. With their team in the lead, the Lancers turned their focus to defence in the second half, doing an effective job of keeping Saskatchewan away from the basket. Windsor widened their lead to 63-49 by the end of the third quarter.
Saskatchewan looked desperate in the fourth quarter as they scrambled to overcome their big deficit. Windsor got into foul trouble, picking up four fouls in the first three minutes of the quarter and entering the penalty with four minutes left. But it wasn't enough of an advantage for the Huskies, which only managed 11 points in the final frame.
Fourth-year Saskatchewan guard Jill Humbert had an inspirational performance despite the loss. She had 16 points while running the Saskatchewan offence, and was the only player on the floor for the full 40 minutes.
Both teams had plenty of supporters in the crowd. A supporters group for Windsor included a drummer and several Windsor and Ontario flags, while plenty of green-and-white-clad fans came out to support Saskatchewan's Lindsay DeGroot, who used to play for the hometown McMaster Marauders. DeGroot led all players in scoring with 17 points.
Windsor will face the winner of the Simon Fraser and Regina in the championship game tomorrow afternoon.
Notes: This was the first meeting between Windsor and Saskatchewan this season, but Windsor knocked off Saskatchewan 63-55 in the quarter-finals of last year's national championships. ... Windsor was this year's Ontario champion and the second seed heading into the national tournament. Saskatchewan finish third place in the Canada West conference and the third seed in the national tournament. ... Both teams faced an easy quarter-final. Windsor breezed past the Ottawa Gee-Gees 64-46, while Saskatchewan comfortably disposed of the Cape Breton Capers 65-59.