The University of Regina's women's basketball team opened its Canada West schedule in style on Friday night, scoring the first 16 points of the game and never looking back in an 85-48 win over Manitoba at the Investors Group Athletic Centre in Winnipeg.
 
The Cougars led 23-3 after the first quarter and 48-13 at halftime in the lopsided victory.
 
Last season's U SPORTS Rookie of the Year, Kyanna Giles led the Cougars in both scoring and rebounding with 18 points and seven boards. Charlotte Kot added 16 points for the U of R, while Sara Hubenig continued her torrid shooting pace by hitting two of her three attempts from three and scoring 13 points off the bench.
 
Carolina Goncalves also hit double figures for the Cougars, finishing with 11 points. The first-year guard will now travel straight from Winnipeg to Lisbon, Portugal where she'll join the Portuguese senior national team for their upcoming games against Greece and Israel. The two international games are part of qualifying for the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2019 tournament.
 
Emma Thompson led Manitoba (0-3) with 15 points.
 
The Cougars and the Bisons will close out the weekend set on Saturday night (5:00 CDT).