Lancers too strong for host Laval at ArcelorMittal Dofasco CIS Women’s Basketball Championship

QUEBEC CITY (CIS) – There is no doubt that the Windsor Lancers are determined to seek a fifth consecutive national title. Thursday night at the PEPS Gym of University Laval, the ArcelorMittal Dofasco CIS Women's Basketball Final 8 tournament favourites made quick work of the host Laval Rouge et Or with an impressive 91-57 victory.

The Lancers were led by Korissa Williams, who scored a double-double with 26 point and 10 rebounds to go along with seven assists and seven steals. The Ontario champs pulled off their 14th straight win and will now play in the semifinals on Saturday at 2:30 pm against the winner of the Alberta Pandas and Saskatchewan Huskies clash.

Lancers coach Chantal Vallée was happy with the result, but mostly with being past the quarterfinals. "It feels good to play the first game and put it behind us. Even if we have an experienced team it's always good to get off to a good start. It was important to start the game strong, but also set the tone for the tournament," said Vallée. "Laval had a very dynamic, athletic and well-coached team. The difference may have been in the experience."

The Rouge et Or will hope they can bounce back in the consolation semifinal and improve on their tournament best 7th place finish three years ago. Laval will face the loser of the Pandas and Huskies quarterfinal Friday at 8 pm. The loss also confirms that head coach Linda Marquis, who is retiring at the end of the season, will not be able to grab a national championship title, one of the only feat she has been unable to capture during her illustrious 30-year career.

"It was a duel between an experienced machine and a banged up young team. We paid for the slightest mistakes and fell into a trap early in the game," said Marquis. "I would have liked us to take control of the game a little more. We learnt a lot tonight, no doubt!"
 
From the opening tipoff the Lancers displayed why they were ranked number one in the country. After being down 6-5 in the opening minutes, the four-time defending champions scored the following 16 points. Windsor, already ahead 23-9, continued to pour on the points in the second quarter, further quieting the home crowd.

Defensive player of the year Korissa Williams led the way for Windsor with 12 points at the half. Heading into the locker room, the Lancers were up 45-17.

The offence of the Rouge et Or finally came to life during the third quarter managing to score four more points than they had in the entire first half. Raphaëlle Côté was most notable, scoring nine of her 18 team-high points in the third quarter. However, for every basket Laval made, the Lancers had an answer. They ended the quarter equaling Laval's point total of 21 and maintaining their 28 point lead.

The fourth quarter was a formality for the OUA champions as they to increased their lead to 34, taking the game by 91-57.

STAT LEADERS

WIN 23-22-21-25:91
LAV 9-8-21-19: 57

Windsor
Points: Korissa Williams (26), Cheyanna Roger (13), Andrea Kiss (13)
Rebounds: Cheyanna Roger (12), Korissa Williams (10)
Assists: Korissa Williams (7)

Player of the game: Korissa Williams

Laval
Points: Raphaelle Cote (18), Gabrielle Girard (8), Veronique Fortin-T. (6)
Rebounds: Raphaelle Cote (7), Jane Gagne (6)
Assists: Raphaelle Cote (2)

Player of the game: Raphaëlle Côté

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE & RESULTS

Thursday, March 12
12:30 Quarter-final 1: No. 3 McGill 67, No. 6 Saint Mary's 59
14:30 Quarter-final 2: No. 2 UBC 81, No. 7 Ryerson 59
18:00 Quarter-final 3: No. 1 Windsor 91, No. 8 Laval 57
20:00 Quarter-final 4: No. 5 Alberta vs. No. 4 Saskatchewan (www.CIS-SIC.tv) 

Friday, March 13
18:00 Consolation 1: No 6 Saint Mary's vs. No 7 Ryerson (www.CIS-SIC.tv) 
20:00 Consolation 2: Loser QF 4 vs. No. 8 Laval (www.CIS-SIC.tv) 

Saturday, March 14
12:00 Semifinal 1: No 3 McGill vs. No 2 UBC (Sportsnet ONE / www.CIS-SIC.tv) * 
14:30 Semifinal 2: Winner QF 4 vs. No. 1 Windsor (Sportsnet ONE / www.CIS-SIC.tv) * 
16:30 5th-place game (www.CIS-SIC.tv) 

Sunday, March 15
10:00 Bronze (www.CIS-SIC.tv)  
13:00 Final (Sportsnet 360 / www.CIS-SIC.tv) * 

* The ENGLISH webcast of the semifinals & final are on pay-per-view basis. The French webcast is free.