Box Score Box Score

The University of Regina's women's basketball team improved to 3-0 on the season after defeating the Lethbridge Pronghorns by a 70-53 score on Friday night in a Canada West game at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.

The Cougars scored nine consecutive points in the second quarter and built up a 23-point lead at halftime approached, holding the visiting Pronghorns to just 20 points in the first half. Lethbridge chipped away at the lead and knocked the deficit down to 14 at one point in the fourth quarter, but couldn't draw any closer to the No. 3-ranked Cougars.

“We probably played our best defensive half of the season in the first, but in the second half we weren't as consistent and had problems with their bigs,” Cougars head coach Dave Taylor said. “Lethbridge is a good team and we'll take any win against them, though.”

Joanna Zalesiak had a game-high 21 points for the Cougars and added 10 rebounds to register the game's lone double-double. Danielle Schmidt had a career-high 13 points, all of which were scored in the first half, while Anne Mercer led all players with 13 rebounds.

Lauren Taal had 12 points for Lethbridge in a game-high 36 minutes on the floor, while Becky Heninger and Hannah Blanchette both helped out with eight points apiece.

The Cougars held a 50-33 rebound advantage and shot 40.3% from the field. The two teams combined for just 24 free throws attempted during the contest.

The two teams will meet again on Saturday afternoon at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:15 p.m.