MICHAEL KNIGHT

The Huskies weekend basketball games saw both the men’s and women’s teams sweeping their series against the University of Regina Cougars.

The weekend kicked off with the women beating the Cougars 73–56 on Jan. 16. They used big first and third quarters that saw the Huskies outscore the Cougars 41–15. Turnovers proved to be costly for the Cougars as they were sloppy throughout the game. They turned the ball over 17 times in the loss.

The Huskies capitalized on the turnovers and it proved to be the difference as it resulted in 21 points. The offence was once again firing on all cylinders with five players scoring at least 10 points. Forward Dalyce Emmerson was strong as always, picking up nine rebounds and 10 points.

The following night on Jan. 17, the Dogs showed up with the same intensity and beat their provincial counterparts 63–40. Regina continued their poor play and turned the ball over 24 times. Again, the Huskies took advantage of the change in possession and scored 21 points off turnovers. Leading the scoring was guard Kabree Howard with 16 points. Howard was 4–9 from three-point range.

With the wins, the Huskies sit on a five-game winning streak and move to a record of 9–3, good for third place in the Pioneer Division. The women’s team is next in action on Jan. 23 and 24 where they travel to the University of Manitoba to play the struggling Bisons. Only three games separate the third through seventh place teams so these will be crucial wins to pick up down the stretch.

The men won their Friday evening game against the Cougars in a tight 76–72 battle. It was a slow start for the Huskies and they looked shaky at times. Regina used a tight man-to-man defence to hold the Huskies to mainly outside shots. Later in the game, the Dogs were able to wear down the defence and drove more to the net and got better shots.

Forward Matt Forbes led the charge, going 8–13 from the floor and putting up a game-high 24 points. Not to be outdone, Ben Baker had a unbelievable game, putting up 13 points, eight rebounds, five steals, two assists and two blocks in the win.

In their Saturday night game, the Huskies overcame their shaky play from the previous game to beat the Cougars 88–80. The Huskies fell in a hole early, but powered back on a 14–3 run. Good shooting by the Dogs allowed them to prevent the Cougars from ever taking back the lead. It was a good day shooting for the team, as they shot 53.6 per cent from the field. Andrew Henry led the Huskies in scoring with 18 points, going 4–7 from beyond the arc, as well as six steals and six assists.

The wins put the Huskies at fifth place in Canada West with an 8–4 record. The men also travel to Manitoba for Jan. 23 and 24 games against the fourth place Bisons. WIth only eight games left on the schedule and playoff positioning up for grabs, this is an important road trip for the Huskies.

The roadtrip goes to Manitoba with games on Jan. 23 and 24. The women start at 6 p.m. both nights and the men get going at 8 p.m.

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Graphic: Stephanie Mah/Graphics Editor