CIS No. 2-ranked Huskies top Tigers 73-53 to advance to Sunday's final

(CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I.) - The Saint Mary's Huskies took care of business in the first of the two semifinal games Saturday night at the Subway AUS women's basketball championship.

The Huskies jumped out to a 20-14 point first quarter lead thanks in large part to the outside shooting of first team all-star, Rachelle Coward, and the play making of league MVP, Justine Colley.

The Tigers' Courtney Thompson did all she could to keep Dalhousie close, scoring 11 of the team's 14 points in the opening period.

A multitude of threes for Saint Mary's, nine in the first half, extended their lead to 16 going into halftime. Coward led the way for the Huskies connecting on four of six shots from beyond the arc for 12 points.

Dalhousie's, Thompson continued to impress, scoring 15 of the team's 24 points and grabbing eight rebounds.

The third and fourth quarters were controlled by the Huskies as the outcome was never in doubt. Saint Mary's would add three more triples in the second half, accounting for 36 of their 73 total points.

Dalhousie outscored Saint Mary's in the final quarter but the game was out of reach as the Huskies punched their ticket to the championship game, winning 73-53.

Player of the game for Dalhousie was Courtney Thompson for the second game in a row. She finished the game with 21 points, 14 rebounds and two steals.

Saint Mary's top scores were all-stars Rachelle Coward and Laura Langille, each with 20 points. Subway Player of the Game honours were awards to Justine Colley who once again filled the stat sheet with 16 points, six rebounds, eight assists, four steals and two blocked shots.

The Huskies will play the second-seeded StFX X-Women in Sunday's championship game at 2 p.m.

Source: Jonathan Lane for UPEI Sports Information