Christina McCusker's 22 points helped power the University of Regina's women's basketball team to an 85-81 victory over Lakehead on Saturday night in the semifinals of the Wesmen Classic in Winnipeg.

The victory propels the Cougars into the final of the non-conference tournament. They'll meet host Winnipeg on Sunday afternoon (2:00) in the championship game of the eight-team Classic.

McCusker was a near-perfect 7-for-8 from the field and was also 8-for-9 from the line, giving her 22 points to go along with five rebounds and three blocks. Kyanna Giles and Michaela Kleisinger also had big games for the Cougars, with Giles collecting 20 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and five steals and Kleisinger chipping in with 13 points and a game-high seven assists.

The Cougars led for most of the game on Saturday, but a run late in the third quarter sent Lakehead into the final period with a four-point lead. Regina took the lead for good with a 10-0 run that was capped by a big triple by rookie Gabby Kukura, but the Cougars had to fend off a late Lakehead rally that saw the Thunderwolves cut it to a one-possession game in the final seconds.

Regina clinched the win from the line, as the Cougars hit six critical free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the victory.

Karissa Kajorinne led Lakehead with 22 points in the setback.

The Cougars, now 15-5 against U SPORTS competition this season, will face Winnipeg on Sunday for the first of three times in the next month. They'll also meet the Wesmen in Winnipeg for two Canada West games on Jan. 25 and Jan. 26.