A non-conference women's basketball game between two traditional titans was as advertised on Thursday night, with the University of Saskatchewan using a late surge to down the Regina Cougars by an 80-73 margin at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.

The Cougars went ahead 65-58 after a Kyanna Giles triple with four and a half minutes to go, but that seven-point lead quickly evaporated as the Huskies hit four three-pointers in a span of 90 seconds to go up by seven themselves. Regina got the lead back down to five on three occasions in the final minute, but the Cougars weren't able to string together the stop and score they needed to make it a one-possession game.

Sabine Dukate led the way for Saskatchewan, drilling eight threes and scoring a game-high 28 points.

The Cougars enjoyed a 52-36 rebounding advantage including 22 offensive boards to Saskatchewan's 10, but only converted that into a 19-15 edge in second-chance points. Macaela Crone led the rebounding charge with 10 for the Cougars and also scored 15 points to finish with a double-double, while Michaela Kleisinger and Christina McCusker both had nine rebounds. Kyanna Giles scored a team-leading 18 points for the Cougars, while Kleisinger had 15 and McCusker finished with 11.

Both teams will finish off the Cougar Classic on Friday. Saskatchewan will take on Lakehead starting at 3:00 PM, while the Cougars will host Lethbridge at 5:00 PM.

Cougar Classic Schedule & Results
Wednesday – Regina 75, Lakehead 58
Thursday – Lethbridge 77, Lakehead 72
Thursday – Saskatchewan 80, Regina 73
Friday – Lakehead vs. Saskatchewan (3:00 PM)
Friday – Regina vs. Lethbridge (5:00 PM)

Cougar Classic Standings
Saskatchewan 1-0
Lethbridge 1-0
Regina 1-1
Lakehead 0-2