Box Score Box Score

The University of Regina's women's basketball team lost 77-74 to the Saskatchewan Huskies on Saturday night in the Canada West championship game at the Physical Activity Complex in Saskatoon.

The loss means that the Cougars will host the CIS West Regional next weekend at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport. The winner of the four-team tournament, which also includes UQAM, Wilfrid Laurier, and a recipient of an at-large bid to be announced Sunday, will earn a berth in the CIS Championship.

The Cougars actually led for much of the contest, which never had a point spread in excess of nine points. A three-pointer by Carly Graham gave the Cougars a four-point lead with seven minutes left in the fourth, but Saskatchewan rallied with 10 consecutive points as Regina went almost five minutes without scoring.

The Cougars tied the game at 70 with a 6-0 run of their own, but Saskatchewan's Kim Tulloch hit a three-pointer with 1:03 remaining to give the Huskies the lead for good. Regina had a chance to tie it on the last possession after the two teams traded free throws in the final minute, but Joanna Zalesiak's heavily contested three-pointer from the corner was no good.

Marci Kiselyk led No. 1-ranked Saskatchewan with 20 points and added 10 rebounds to notch the game's lone double-double. Kim Tulloch was held off the scoresheet for the entire first half but still ended up with 17 points for the Huskies, while Jill Humbert scored 15 and Katie Miyazaki chipped in with 11.

Gabrielle Gheyssen was 5-for-8 from three-point land and led the Cougars with 17 points. Lindsay Ledingham had 16 for the U of R, while Graham scored 15 and Zalesiak had 12 points and nine assists.

NOTES: The Cougars will square off with the at-large team in the regional semifinal next Friday at 6:15 p.m. ... UQAM and Wilfrid Laurier will meet in the other semifinal following the conclusion of the U of R's game ... the winners will meet in the regional final on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m.