The Huskies fell to the Cascades in the CIS bronze medal game.

The Huskies women’s basketball team narrowly missed medaling at nationals, falling to the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades 57-69 in the bronze medal game on March 16. The Dogs won their quarter-final match but fell in the semifinals to land in the bronze medal game.

The University of Windsor Lancers defeated the Saint Mary’s University Huskies to claim their fourth straight Canadian Interuniversity Sport national championship. The tournament was held from March 14-16 in Windsor, Ont.

The Dogs opened their CIS campaign against the Queen’s University Gaels on Friday night. The sixth seeded Gaels pushed for the upset but the Huskies were able to stave them off and advance to the semifinals with a 61-52 victory.

“I’m not surprised at all by how close this game was. I have so much respect for [Queen’s head coach] Dave [Wilson] and his program. They’re a team that puts a lot of pressure on you; they’re relentless,” Huskies head coach Lisa Thomaidis said to Windsor Sports Information. “I’m proud of the way our team managed to stay in the game and grind out this win. We showed a lot of character today.”

Kelsey Truslrud led the Huskies with 22 points and 15 rebounds, while Kabree Howard added another 12 points and Dalyce Emmerson grabbed 11 rebounds.

Waiting for the Dogs in the semifinal was the number two seed Saint Mary’s University Huskies. The Dogs lead 36-35 at halftime but Saint Mary’s went on a 22-3 run in the third quarter to take a 56-45 advantage into the fourth. Saint Mary’s earned their trip to the final with a 67-54 triumph.

Saint Mary’s Justine Colley proved troublesome for the U of S Huskies, scoring a tournament-high 38 points in the clash.

Emmerson earned a double double with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Howard added another nine points and Riley Humbert chipped in eight.

Following the game, Thomaidis was pleased with how her team played but gave all credit to Saint Mary’s for their great performance.

“We played a very solid first half. We were obviously pleased to go into the break with the lead,” she said. “They went on a run early in the second half and we just couldn’t stop them. Justine is a great player, and she proved it again tonight. Hats off to Saint Mary’s. They deserve to be in the final.”

The bronze medal game was a rematch of the Canada West final but this time the Cascades were able to reverse their fortunes, avenging their loss to the Dogs and claiming the bronze medal with a 69-57 win.

The opening half of play was very competitive, with the teams matching each other shot for shot. The Cascades eventually earned a 30-27 lead at the halfway mark and scored 10 straight points in the middle of the third period to extend their lead to nine. Heading into the fourth quarter the Cascades had a commanding 55-40 lead.

The Dogs began to chip away at the deficit, scoring six straight points to open the frame, but the Cascades continued their strong play to keep the Huskies at bay and earn the bronze medal.

Kiera Lyons led the Huskies with 18 points while Emmerson added 16 and six rebounds.

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Photo: Katherine Fedoroff/Photo Editor