The Huskies defeated the University of Regina Cougars and the Unversity of the Fraser Valley Cascades to claim the Canada West title.

The Huskies women’s basketball team proved they are the best in the west after claiming the Canada West title, and will advance to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship to face off against the best teams in the country.

The Dogs defeated the University of Regina Cougars in the semifinals and the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades in the final. The final four tournament took place at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alta. on March 7 and 8.

Friday’s semifinal game pitted the Huskies against their provincial rivals the Cougars. The teams had split their previous meeting, each coming in with a 1-1 record.

Right from tip-off the teams matched each other basket for basket. The Huskies were only able to gain a slight three-point lead after the first quarter and at the half held a five point advantage.

Although they were never able to gain a large lead, the Huskies were able to keep their nose in front until the buzzer. The Dogs advanced to the final with a 64-52 victory.

Dalyce Emmerson led the Huskies with 17 points and seven rebounds. Riley Humbert chipped in another 10 points.

In another exciting contest, the Huskies clashed with the Fraser Valley Cascades in the final.

The teams exchanged leads in the opening half, with the Cascades eventually gaining the upper hand to lead 34-30. The Huskies didn’t stay behind for long, going on a 12-0 run to start the third period. The Cascades were not able to match the Dogs’ level of play and the Huskies went on to win 67-56.

Kabree Howard led the Huskies with 20 points and six assists.

“My shot was feeling good. Everyone contributes on every night and that just happened to be the night I was able to contribute,” Howard said.

Emmerson had another big night, recording a double-double with 19 points and 22 rebounds.

Heading into the national championship the Huskies will look to continue the stellar play that led them to the Canada West title.

“We’re playing as a team so well,” Howard said. “Everyone’s contributing and everyone is able to execute the game plan. It really comes down to our defence, that we’re stopping teams.”

This is the third time in team history that the Huskies have claimed the Canada West title and the seventh time in nine years that they have advanced to the CIS championship. The Cascades also join the Huskies in the tournament as Canada West representatives while the University of Alberta Pandas, who finished third, received a wildcard.

The Huskies are seeded third and will face the sixth seed Queen’s University Gaels in the quarter-final. The Gaels finished first in the Ontario University Athletics’ Eastern division with a 16-6 record.

The CIS championship takes place from March 14-16 at the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ont.

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Photo: Golden Bears and Pandas Athletics