Cougars WBB Team Looking For Another Trip To Nationals

The University of Regina's women's basketball team will make the short trip north to Saskatoon this weekend for the Canada West Final Four, beginning with a semifinal matchup against Winnipeg on Friday night (8:15).

Simply put, it'll be the biggest game of the year for the Cougars. A win over the Wesmen would not only send Regina into the Canada West title game, but would also clinch an automatic berth to the next weekend's U SPORTS Championship hosted by the University of Victoria.

It was a big week off the court for Regina. On Monday, fifth-year guard Katie Polischuk was named a conference first-team all-star and Kyanna Giles was not only named to the Canada West All-Rookie Team, but also a conference third-team all-star. Not surprisingly, the conference followed up on Wednesday by naming Giles the Canada West Rookie of the Year after she finished second on the team in scoring and led the Cougars in both rebounds and steals.

The Cougars travelled to Winnipeg to square off with the Wesmen one month ago in a pair of late-season conference games. Regina took an 83-67 win in the first game, but Antoinette Miller – named the Canada West Player of the Year this week – went off for 27 points and 10 rebounds as Winnipeg edged the Cougars 62-58 for the weekend split.

Miller was also named the Canada West Defensive Player of the Year, while Wesmen coach Tanya McKay was the Canada West Coach of the Year after leading Winnipeg to a 18-2 conference record this season. Miller was an easy choice as a first-team all-star, while sharpshooting guard Megan Noonan was a Canada West third-team all-star.

The opening semifinal of the Canada West Final Four features host Saskatchewan against Alberta. The losers of the two semifinal games will play for a conference bronze medal on Saturday night at 5:00, while the winners will meet for the Canada West championship beginning at 7:00.

NOTES: Not surprisingly given the two teams' long history dating back to the days of the old Great Plains Athletic Conference, the Cougars have played Winnipeg in the postseason more times than any other team ... Regina holds a 17-11 advantage in 28 postseason games against the Wesmen and have defeated Winnipeg in seven straight playoff games, a streak that started with a win over the Wesmen in the semifinals of the 2004 CIS Championship ... Friday's game will mark the first time that the two teams have met in the Canada West Final Four.