Box Score Box Score

The University of Regina's women's basketball team improved to 16-3 on the season after an 85-54 victory over the UBC Thunderbirds on Friday night at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.

The Cougars came out strong, outscoring UBC by a 29-15 margin in the first quarter largely due to the perimeter shooting of both Gabrielle Gheyssen and Joanna Zalesiak. The Thunderbirds chipped away at the deficit in the second quarter and only trailed by eight at halftime, but the second half was all Cougars as the home team outscored UBC by a 42-19 margin in the third and fourth quarters to secure the victory.

Gheyssen ended up with six three-pointers in the win, becoming only the second U of R player to hit six from downtown in a Canada West game. The fifth-year guard was 7-for-8 from the field and ended up with 20 points for the Cougars.

Zalesiak had 14 at halftime and ended up with a game-high 22 points for the Cougars, while Lindsay Ledingham (15) and Megan Chamberlin (11) also scored in double figures for Regina. Ledingham added a team-leading eight rebounds.

Zara Huntley was a force for UBC (13-6) with 19 points and 12 rebounds, but ran into foul trouble and missed the majority of the second half. Devan Lisson added 10 for the Thunderbirds, who outrebounded the Cougars by a 47-41 margin during the contest.

The two teams will meet again on Saturday night at the CKHS.

NOTES: Bree Burgess is the only other Cougar to hit six threes during a Canada West game, doing so against Saskatchewan back on Jan. 11, 2002 … Chamberlin's 11 points tie her career high … Access7 will rebroadcast the game on Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 1 p.m.