March 9, 2009
LANCERS NARROWLY MISS OUT ON BRONZE AT CIS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
REGINA, Sask. - Freshman Nicole Clarke scored 16 points and Alysia Rissling had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double as the No. 4-seeded Alberta Pandas edged the No. 3 Windsor Lancers 64-62 in the bronze-medal game of the 2009 CIS women's basketball championship, Sunday afternoon, at the University of Regina.
The win gives the Pandas a second CIS medal in three years, and comes a week after their third-place finish at the Canada West Final Four. Alberta had reached the national final in its last CIS tournament appearance in 2007, losing 72-68 to Simon Fraser.
The Lancers were playing on the national stage for the first time in team history.
The closest game of the 2009 CIS championship came down to the wire.
Championship web site: www.cisport.ca/e/championships/w_basketball/2009
Alberta jumped to a quick 10-4 lead and was ahead the entire first half, 20-16 after the opening quarter and 30-27 at the break.
Windsor scored the first four points of the second half to take its first lead of the afternoon (31-30) and was ahead 46-45 after a third quarter that featured seven lead changes.
Alberta regained the advantage early in the fourth and opened its biggest cushion of the final frame at the midway mark when freshman Anneka Bakker (Ottawa) drove to the basket to make it 56-51.
Four lead changes later, Alberta went ahead for good with 1:19 left when a Kristin Jarock (Edmonton) jumper made it 60-59 Pandas.
Trailing 62-59, the Lancers missed two three-point shots that would have tied the affair. Dranadia Roc (Montreal) hit the rim with 19 seconds on the clock and, after Ashley Wigg (Calgary) missed a pair of free throws for Alberta, Shavaun Reaney (Sherwood Park, Alta.) missed from beyond the arc with eight seconds remaining.
Rissling (Edmonton) hit two free throws to seal the win, with Lancer forward Alisa Wulff (Pickering, Ont.) rounding out the scoring with a three-pointer at the buzzer.
"It was a nail-biter down the stretch. Our kids were kind of nervous at the end, they missed a few free throws, but ultimately we were able to pull it off," said Alberta head coach Scott Edwards. "We didn't get the defensive rebounds early in game but we got a couple of key ones when it counted."
"It's disappointing to lose, especially when we were so close in the fourth quarter," said third-year guard Roc. "But it was our first time here, the whole tournament was a good experience. Hopefully we can build off of this for next year."
Clarke, a CIS all-rookie team member from Calgary, added seven rebounds and five assists to her 16 points to earn Alberta player-of-the-game honours for the second straight day.
Rissling, with her 10 points, fifth-year senior Katie Barrett (Edmonton), with 12, and Bakker, with 10, also scored in double figures for the CIS bronze medallists.
The Lancers were paced by six-foot-five sophomore post Iva Peklova (Prague, Czech Republic) who was named Windsor game MVP following a 17-point, 15-rebound effort.
Wulff finished with 12 points while Roc had 10.
Windsor was held to 30.2 percent (26-86) shooting from the floor on the afternoon, including 16.7 percent (3-of-18) from the three-point line.
Alberta also struggled from beyond the arc hitting only two of 15 attempts (13.3 percent) but finished at 40.7 percent (22-of-54) from the floor.
STAT LEADERS
Alberta
Points: Nicole Clarke (16), Katie Barrett (12), Anneka Bakker (10), Alysia Rissling (10)
Rebounds: Alysia Rissling (11), Nicole Clarke (7), Anneka Bakker (6)
Assists: Nicole Clarke (5), Ashley Wigg (5)
Player of the game: Nicole Clarke
Windsor
Points: Iva Peklova (17), Alisa Wulff (12), Dranadia Roc (10)
Rebounds: Iva Peklova (15), Bojana Kovacevic (10)
Assists: Shavaun Reaney (3), Alisa Wulff (3)
Player of the game: Iva Peklova
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL: Central Time)
Friday, March 6
Quarterfinal #1: No. 1 Simon Fraser 89, No. 8 Ottawa 42
Quarterfinal #2: No. 4 Alberta 84, No. 5 Laval 64
Quarterfinal #3: No. 2 Regina 66, No. 7 Cape Breton 51
Quarterfinal #4: No. 3 Windsor 63, No. 6 Saskatchewan 55
Saturday, March 7
Consolation #1: No. 5 Laval 75, No. 8 Ottawa 58
Consolation #2: No. 7 Cape Breton 72, No. 6 Saskatchewan 63
Semi-final #1: No. 1 Simon Fraser 78, No. 4 Alberta 62
Semi-final #2: No. 2 Regina 86, No. 3 Windsor 68
Sunday, March 8
5th place: No. 7 Cape Breton 67, No. 5 Laval 56
Bronze medal: No. 4 Alberta 64, No. 3 Windsor 62
Championship final: No. 1 Simon Fraser 68, No. 2 Regina 62
Source: CIS Communications
The win gives the Pandas a second CIS medal in three years, and comes a week after their third-place finish at the Canada West Final Four. Alberta had reached the national final in its last CIS tournament appearance in 2007, losing 72-68 to Simon Fraser.
The Lancers were playing on the national stage for the first time in team history.
The closest game of the 2009 CIS championship came down to the wire.
Championship web site: www.cisport.ca/e/championships/w_basketball/2009
Alberta jumped to a quick 10-4 lead and was ahead the entire first half, 20-16 after the opening quarter and 30-27 at the break.
Windsor scored the first four points of the second half to take its first lead of the afternoon (31-30) and was ahead 46-45 after a third quarter that featured seven lead changes.
Alberta regained the advantage early in the fourth and opened its biggest cushion of the final frame at the midway mark when freshman Anneka Bakker (Ottawa) drove to the basket to make it 56-51.
Four lead changes later, Alberta went ahead for good with 1:19 left when a Kristin Jarock (Edmonton) jumper made it 60-59 Pandas.
Trailing 62-59, the Lancers missed two three-point shots that would have tied the affair. Dranadia Roc (Montreal) hit the rim with 19 seconds on the clock and, after Ashley Wigg (Calgary) missed a pair of free throws for Alberta, Shavaun Reaney (Sherwood Park, Alta.) missed from beyond the arc with eight seconds remaining.
Rissling (Edmonton) hit two free throws to seal the win, with Lancer forward Alisa Wulff (Pickering, Ont.) rounding out the scoring with a three-pointer at the buzzer.
"It was a nail-biter down the stretch. Our kids were kind of nervous at the end, they missed a few free throws, but ultimately we were able to pull it off," said Alberta head coach Scott Edwards. "We didn't get the defensive rebounds early in game but we got a couple of key ones when it counted."
"It's disappointing to lose, especially when we were so close in the fourth quarter," said third-year guard Roc. "But it was our first time here, the whole tournament was a good experience. Hopefully we can build off of this for next year."
Clarke, a CIS all-rookie team member from Calgary, added seven rebounds and five assists to her 16 points to earn Alberta player-of-the-game honours for the second straight day.
Rissling, with her 10 points, fifth-year senior Katie Barrett (Edmonton), with 12, and Bakker, with 10, also scored in double figures for the CIS bronze medallists.
The Lancers were paced by six-foot-five sophomore post Iva Peklova (Prague, Czech Republic) who was named Windsor game MVP following a 17-point, 15-rebound effort.
Wulff finished with 12 points while Roc had 10.
Windsor was held to 30.2 percent (26-86) shooting from the floor on the afternoon, including 16.7 percent (3-of-18) from the three-point line.
Alberta also struggled from beyond the arc hitting only two of 15 attempts (13.3 percent) but finished at 40.7 percent (22-of-54) from the floor.
STAT LEADERS
Alberta
Points: Nicole Clarke (16), Katie Barrett (12), Anneka Bakker (10), Alysia Rissling (10)
Rebounds: Alysia Rissling (11), Nicole Clarke (7), Anneka Bakker (6)
Assists: Nicole Clarke (5), Ashley Wigg (5)
Player of the game: Nicole Clarke
Windsor
Points: Iva Peklova (17), Alisa Wulff (12), Dranadia Roc (10)
Rebounds: Iva Peklova (15), Bojana Kovacevic (10)
Assists: Shavaun Reaney (3), Alisa Wulff (3)
Player of the game: Iva Peklova
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL: Central Time)
Friday, March 6
Quarterfinal #1: No. 1 Simon Fraser 89, No. 8 Ottawa 42
Quarterfinal #2: No. 4 Alberta 84, No. 5 Laval 64
Quarterfinal #3: No. 2 Regina 66, No. 7 Cape Breton 51
Quarterfinal #4: No. 3 Windsor 63, No. 6 Saskatchewan 55
Saturday, March 7
Consolation #1: No. 5 Laval 75, No. 8 Ottawa 58
Consolation #2: No. 7 Cape Breton 72, No. 6 Saskatchewan 63
Semi-final #1: No. 1 Simon Fraser 78, No. 4 Alberta 62
Semi-final #2: No. 2 Regina 86, No. 3 Windsor 68
Sunday, March 8
5th place: No. 7 Cape Breton 67, No. 5 Laval 56
Bronze medal: No. 4 Alberta 64, No. 3 Windsor 62
Championship final: No. 1 Simon Fraser 68, No. 2 Regina 62
Source: CIS Communications
