Huskies get second shot at Cougars
Until they meet again just happens to be tonight.
Fresh from a disappointing loss in the Canada West conference final, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies get another crack at the University of Regina Cougars when they meet in the U Sports Final 8 women’s basketball national championship semifinal tonight in Regina.
Of course, the Huskies more than welcome a second shot against their provincial rivals in front of what will be a very loud, packed house.
“Oh, for sure,” said U of S head coach Lisa Thomaidis, whose team advanced following a quarter-final win Thursday night over the Acadia University Axewomen.
During the regular season, the Huskies and Cougars split a twogame series in Saskatoon. While the Cougars have yet to lose on home court this season, the Huskies have yet to drop back-to-back games to the same team this season.
Something has to give.
“We’re two teams that know each other so well and, having played each other just a week ago, it’ll be great to get another shot at them and clean up some things that we didn’t do very well last time and have our point guard (Libby Epoch) back in the lineup and see how that changes things,” Thomaidis said after a practice session Friday.
The host Cougars come in as the No. 2 seed and favourites, but all the pressure will be on them, not the Huskies.
“Absolutely,” Thomaidis said. “We know what to expect; we know they have a lot of weapons. But I think it favours the underdog, right? The more times you get a chance to play a favourite, the more opportunities you get to make some adjustments and see where there may be some chinks in the armour. We’ll see what we can do (Saturday).”
Saskatchewan welcomed back Epoch into the lineup Thursday even though she did not practice all week and missed the Canada West final last weekend against Regina.
“What a gutsy performance by her,” Thomaidis said.
“I mean, she basically had a cast on her leg and played 36 minutes. She was so solid for us. She’s not 100 per cent but she’s such a tough kid. She’s obviously not feeling great (Friday) but it’s great we have the day off and another day to recover.”
Controlling the tempo in Saturday’s clash will be one of the keys for the Huskies. They don’t want the Cougars to get out easily and quickly in transition.
“Our best defence is going to be a good offence. We’ve got to make them work on D and we can’t turn the ball over,” Thomaidis said.
Another key is controlling the boards, defensively.
Even though the Huskies are getting a second chance against the Cougars, they want to limit the Cougars’ second chances offensively.
“We’ve got to keep them off the offensive glass,” Thomaidis said. “That’s where they’re one of the best teams in the country in transition and on the offensive glass.”
Regina finished the regular season with an 18-2 record. Saskatchewan was next at 17-3.