Laval Rouge et Or guard Florence Fort (2) looks to move the ball at the March 7 U Sports women's basketball championship quarterfinal against the Alberta Pandas at the Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton. [Photo by Owen Spillios-Hunter/The Charlatan]

EDMONTON — The U Sports women’s basketball championship quarterfinal round unfolded without many surprises at the Saville Community Sports Centre.

The defending national champion Carleton Ravens opened the day with an expected win over the UFV Cascades by a 75-58 score.

Next, the Critelli Cup finalist Queen’s Gaels pulled off a 69-54 “upset” over the Saint Mary’s Huskies. But it didn’t feel like an upset coming from the Gaels who played in the national championship final just last year. 

Even less surprising, the No. 1 seed Saskatchewan Huskies ran a clinic on the Calgary Dinos, walking away with a 31-point margin in the 85-54 victory.

In the final game of the day, the host Alberta Pandas looked like they might topple the Laval Rouge et Or, but Laval recovered to remind fans why they’ve gone undefeated all year.

Coming up, the Gaels will get a chance at redemption against their OUA rival Ravens in the first semifinal on March 9.

On the other side of the bracket, the Huskies will take on Laval, who still remains unbeaten this season.

Queen’s Gaels, 69, Saint Mary’s Huskies, 54

If there was any pent-up frustration in Gaels guard Julia Chadwick after losing the Critelli Cup to the Ravens, it’s since been unleashed on the Saint Mary’s Huskies. 

Chadwick torched the AUS champion Huskies for 25 points and 27 rebounds in the 69-54 upset win. Her rebound total tied her regular season record set earlier this year, and is the second-most in a U Sports Final 8 game.

“She has done that all season for us,” Gaels head coach Claire Meadows said. “She has been an absolute monster for us on the boards, and for her to do that in the first game of nationals is pretty impressive.”

And now, Queen’s will have another opportunity for revenge earning themselves a semifinal against the Ravens on March 9 at 8 p.m EST.

The first half was neck-and-neck between the Gaels and Huskies, as there were 10 lead changes before halftime.

The Huskies scored by committee but were hampered by a weak 32.3 per cent first-half field goal percentage. 

The Gaels’ Chadwick and guard Emma Weltz combined for 19 first-half points, translating to a 35-30 edge at half.

Saint Mary’s roared back in the third quarter, grabbing a 41-40 lead from forward Lucy Beaumont’s three-point score.

But the Gaels kept pace, as Chadwick went supernova in the second half with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Queen’s was utterly dominant in the paint, collecting 40 points from there throughout the game compared to Saint Mary’s 22.

Saint Mary’s defence was completely overwhelmed, allowing plenty of second-chances and fast breaks that Queen’s never sniffed against Carleton, their most recent opponent. The Gaels cashed in every time.

On offence, the Huskies sputtered. They simply had no response to Chadwick and the Gaels’ ability to easily transition from defence to offence. The Gaels outscored the Huskies by six points in the third quarter and four in the fourth.

Despite being the No. 6 seed, the Gaels’ experience as a championship-caliber squad was evident against Saint Mary’s. The Gaels walked away with the 69-54 win without much pressure from the Huskies.

Saskatchewan Huskies, 85, Calgary Dinos, 54

While the first two quarterfinals featured highly competitive games in which any team could’ve won, this possibility was quickly ruled out between the Saskatchewan Huskies and Calgary Dinos.

The Huskies cruised to an 85-54 win through a balanced attack. The Huskies squeezed 33 points out of their bench throughout the game, showing their ability to maximize every player’s offensive potential. Saskatchewan’s potentially unmatched depth makes them a formidable opponent heading into the semifinals.

Like Carleton, the Huskies are seeking their third U Sports national championship in program history.

Guard Gage Grassick paced the Huskies with 19 points, eight rebounds and seven steals, but not far behind was duo Carly Ahlstrom and Maya Flindall, who compiled a total of 25 points and 6 rebounds.

​​“Gage has been a difference maker for us,” Huskies head coach Lisa Thomaidis said. “She has stepped up all season long. She really is the engine that drives our team, and you could see that tonight.”

From start to finish, the Huskies proved their mettle as the No. 1 seed dismantling the Dinos’ defence every time they rushed up the court. The Huskies put up an astounding 52 points in the paint.

Even more impressive, Saskatchewan kept the nation’s second-ranked offence to 39.5 per cent shooting. They held Calgary scoreless for seven and a half minutes straight in the second quarter and put together a ridiculous 28-1 run between the first and second.

Although the Dinos were awarded the at-large berth after being ranked No. 5 in the country, it took until the second half of the game for that version of the team to emerge.

Calgary threw down 38 second-half points, but nothing they did on the defensive end could slow down the freight train that was the Huskies’ relentless attack.

Saskatchewan went eight-for-12 in the paint in the final quarter to seal the Dinos’ fate.

No team looks as poised to end the Ravens’ reign than Saskatchewan does after this round.

Laval Rouge et Or, 65, Alberta Pandas, 57

Facing an undefeated squad in RSEQ champion Laval Rouge et Or, the host Alberta Pandas had their work cut out for them in the day’s final quarterfinal matchup.

Luckily, they had the support of a raucous home crowd to aid them.

It was far and away the most evenly-matched game of the opening round, as Laval and Alberta were the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds, respectively.

The Pandas fed off the home crowd energy to gain a 10-3 lead, forcing Laval to call a timeout to reorganize.

“In front of their loud crowd, we had to battle more for each possession,” Rouge et Or head coach Guillaume Giroux said. “We knew this win would be tough, especially in front of the hostile crowd. But I’m proud of the girls for how they fought.”

Laval showed hesitancy to shoot the ball, even when given wide-open looks. On the other side, Alberta pushed the pace and shot on every opening they found.

After a sleepy start, Laval finally fired back, managing to close the gap to 17-15 by the end of the first quarter. 

Alberta emerged from the break with a 5-0 run to put Laval back on their heels.

But Laval finally found the form that won them their RSEQ title. They locked down on defence and rediscovered their shooting touch. At the end of the half, the Rouge et Or led the Pandas 31-30. Guard Léa-Sophie Verret led the way with 11 points and eventually nabbed player of the game distinctions. 

In the third quarter, Laval rebounded well and exposed gaps in the Panda’s coverage. Alberta responded with effective shooting but were less methodical on offence than Laval, who operated like a well-oiled machine, giving them a 49-44 lead after three quarters.

Alberta scraped enough offence together in the final quarter to come within a point with less than five minutes to play, but ball management cost them critical points against. This was highlighted by an avoidable Laval fast break.

Nevertheless, the Pandas pressed on and got themselves to the charity stripe. But they couldn’t make free throws when they counted. 

Laval’s free throw shooting was a separating factor. They drained 14 of 17 free throws, while Alberta only mustered 6 of 13. Verret went seven-for-seven from the line, most of which came in the fourth quarter while being jeered at by Pandas fans.

Laval also exhibited superior ball control when it mattered most. When Alberta needed points late in the game, far too often they scrambled and rushed plays, or worse, turned over possession.

The Rouge et Or executed intelligent ball management to drain the clock in the final minutes, much to the exasperation of the desperate Pandas and home crowd.

Down 63-57 with 13 seconds remaining, the Pandas were in too deep. Verrett continued Laval’s poised free throw excellence with two late buckets to punctuate the 65-57 final score.

OUA rematch

The Ravens look to win their sixth-straight game against the Gaels in the first semifinal on March 9 at 8 p.m. EST.

Featured image by Owen Spillios-Hunter/The Charlatan.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR