Huskies go perfect 4 for 4 on basketball road trip

It was the best start to the second half of the season that the University of Saskatchewan Huskies basketball teams could have asked for, as both the men and women swept their weekend series with the Brandon University Bobcats.

Entering 2015 action the women were ranked sixth in the CIS and they showed why on Jan. 9 with a lopsided 76–48 win. It was a close game after the first quarter with the Huskies only leading by six. Dalyce Emmerson and Kelsey Trulsrud paced the Dogs the rest of the way as they cruised to their sixth win of the season. Emmerson finished with 15 points and eight rebounds while Trulsrud had a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.

Jan. 10 saw the Dogs use a dominant first half to pick up their second straight win. After a mere 20 minutes of play, they led Brandon 45–18. The Bobcats picked it up in the second half, but it was too little too late as they fell 72–49 to the visitors. Laura Dally led the Huskies with 18 points and Kabree Howard added 11 as they improved their record to 7–3. WIth the losses, the Bobcats fall to 3–7 and sit second last in the pioneer division, while the Dogs are tied for third with 10 games left in the season.

Meanwhile, the men were also taking on Brandon and on the Friday night and used a big rebounding advantage to to pick up their fifth win of the season. After the first half, the Bobcats were down just eight points, but they just could not cut into the deficit as they shot only 30 per cent from the field. Mike Scott carried the load offensively with 21 points and four offensive rebounds. Ben Baker had a monster game in the winning effort, recording 13 points, 24 rebounds and seven assists.

The following evening, it would take a second half comeback for the Dogs to pull out the late victory and the sweep with it. In the early going, it was all Bobcats though, as they opened up a six point lead after one quarter and played a solid second frame, they took a 40–33 lead into halftime. The Huskies heated up in the second half and a big third quarter staked them out to a 64–59 lead after 30 minutes of play. With a strong fourth quarter, the Dogs earned their sixth win of the season with a 90–82 win. Kenonte Ramsey nearly stole one for the Bobcats as he tallied 30 points, six steals, five assists and three rebounds in the loss that drops Brandon to 1–11 on the campaign. Dadrian Collins had 23 points while Scott had 22 and Connor Burns chipped in with 17 off the bench in just 23 minutes.

Both the men and women will look to build on their success next weekend at home versus their provincial rivals, the University of Regina Cougars. In the men’s standings, the Huskies sit fourth while the Cougars sit fifth. On the women’s side, Regina leads the conference while the Huskies aren’t far behind in third.

Games are scheduled for Jan. 16 and 17 at the Physical Activity Complex with the women beginning at 6:15 p.m. and the men going at 8 p.m.

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Photo: Jordan Dumba