Box Score

The University of Regina's women's basketball team took a 1-0 lead over Winnipeg in a best-of-three Canada West quarterfinal series after a 93-52 win over the Wesmen on Friday night at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.

Lindsay Ledingham led the Cougars with 15 points, while Joanna Zalesiak and Alyssia Kajati both scored 14. Kajati also added 10 rebounds – six of which came on the offensive glass – to record the game's lone double-double.

“We talked at halftime about taking care of every possession and I thought that was our most consistent defensive game of the year,” Cougars head coach Dave Taylor said. “We shot the ball very well in the first half and built up enough of a lead that our defence could close it out for us.”

Shooting the ball well early might have been an understatement from Taylor, as the Cougars hit six of their first eight attempts from three-point land and scored 32 points in the first 10 minutes. Zalesiak had 13 points in that first quarter alone.

Regina led by 20 at the half, then put the game away after the break by holding Winnipeg to just seven points in the third quarter. The Cougars held a massive 56-32 rebounding edge during the contest, outscored Winnipeg 40-18 in the paint, and scored 19 second-chance points. Regina also shot 47% from the field compared to 27% for the Wesmen.

Winnipeg's Alyssa Grant tied Ledingham for the game high with 15 points, while Amy Ogidan added 14 for the Wesmen. Ogidan also pulled down a team-leading six rebounds.

The two teams will play on Saturday night in Game 2 of the quarterfinal series. A win by the No. 1-ranked Cougars gives them a two-game sweep and the right to host the Canada West Final Four next weekend at the CKHS.

NOTES: Regina has now defeated Winnipeg in six consecutive postseason games and holds a 16-11 edge over the Wesmen in the all-time playoff series between the two teams.