Box Score Box Score

The University of Regina's women's basketball team scored 11 consecutive points over a three-minute span midway through the fourth quarter and went on to an 83-73 win over Victoria in a CIS West Regional semifinal on Friday night at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.

Victoria came out strong again, opening up a lead that reached as many as 13 points in the second quarter. Debbie Yeboah was lights-out to start the game for the Vikes, scoring 10 points in the first quarter alone.

The Cougars got the CKHS faithful back into it with a run of their own, scoring 12 of the last 15 points of the second quarter to cut the deficit to four at the half.

Carmen Lapthorne opened up the third quarter with a three-pointer for Victoria, but the Cougars responded with a 10-1 run to give the home side its first lead since the first quarter. The Cougars led by three going into the fourth quarter, and back-to-back three-pointers by Danielle Schmidt pushed the lead up to nine.

Victoria fought back with six consecutive points to make it 65-62, but the Cougars put together an 11-0 run to go up 14 with three minutes left.

“We struggled again in the first half, but got it going much better in the second,” Cougars head coach Dave Taylor said following the win. “Dani Schmidt going 5-for-5 from the three-point line gave us a huge spark when we needed it the most.”

Schmidt ended up with a career-high 23 points and joins Gabrielle Gheyssen as the only two Cougars to have hit at least five three-pointers in a game without missing since the team joined Canada West prior to the 2001-02 season. Schmidt also had a team-high four steals.

Joanna Zalesiak fell just one assist shy of a rare triple-double, ending up with 20 points, a career-high 17 rebounds, and nine dimes. Lindsay Ledingham also had a double-double for the Cougars, scoring 14 points and adding 10 rebounds. Megan Chamberlin was 5-for-8 from the field and scored 11.

Yeboah was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line, played all 40 minutes, and led all players with 24 points and five steals. Sarah Semeniuk had 18 points and 15 rebounds to record a big double-double for Victoria, while Lapthorne scored 11 and added nine rebounds.

Jane Anholt and Vanessa Forstbauer both fouled out in the fourth quarter for Victoria.

The Cougars will square off with Wilfrid Laurier on Saturday night at the CKHS. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m