The University of Regina's women's basketball team fell just short in the fifth-place game at the 2016 CIS Championship, losing 74-73 to Canada West rival Alberta on Saturday night at the Currie Center on the University of New Brunswick campus.

The Cougars trailed for almost the entire second half, but battled back from an Alberta lead that reached double digits with a 14-4 run that tied up the game midway through the fourth quarter. The veteran Regina squad then scored four consecutive points in the final minute to go up 72-71 - the team's first lead since late in the second - but Alberta's Renee Byrne replied with a three-pointer on the next possession to put the Pandas back up 74-72.

Regina had a chance to tie it late after Charlotte Kot was fouled with two seconds left, but Kot missed the second free throw after hitting the first. The Cougars got the ball back after the rebound bounced off an Alberta player out of bounds, but only with a tenth of a second left on the clock and Katie Polischuk's tip from the high post hit front rim.

Alberta was 10-for-23 from three-point range during the win, led by Byrne going 5-for-6 and scoring a team-high 17 points. Megan Wickstrom was 3-for-6 from the perimeter and finished with 16 points, while Jessilyn Fairbanks added 15 for the Pandas.

One of three fifth-year players for the Cougars playing in their final CIS game, Alyssia Kajati was 5-for-8 from the field and hit all eight of her free throws to finish with a game-high 18 points. Kot had 15 points and nine rebounds, while Caitlin Zacharias came off the bench to match her career high with 11 points in just a three-minute span during the second quarter. Kehlsie Crone hit three triples and joined Zacharias with 11 points.

The loss puts an end to the 2015-16 season, one in which the Cougars put together a fine 28-7 overall record against CIS competition. The team will lose fifth-year veterans Kajati, Crone, and Sidney Dobner next season but are expected to return a pair of fourth-year starters in Kot and Katie Polischuk. Also back are third-year players Sara Hubenig and Caitlin Zacharias, second-year contributors Britton Belyk and Christina McCusker, and the rookie trio of Michaela Kleisinger, Avery Pearce, and Alexi Rowden. Jayda Watson will still have a full five years of eligibility remaining after redshirting this season.