Butts Powers UNB REDS Past Carleton, Into U SPORTS Championship Semifinals
Second Team All-Canadian posts dominant 31-point, 15-rebound performance as No. 2 REDS defeat Ravens 81–63 in Quebec City
(QUEBEC CITY, QUE.) Katie Butts delivered a dominant performance with 31 points and 15 rebounds to power No. 2-seed UNB to an 80–63 victory over the No. 7 Carleton Ravens in the opening quarterfinal of the 2026 Sun Life U SPORTS Women's Final 8, presented by Michelob and Hilton Quebec, on Thursday at Amphithéâtre Desjardins.
Butts, named UNB's player of the game, shot an efficient 10-for-15 from the field while controlling the glass on both ends, helping her squad gradually pull away after a tight first half.
Carleton's Kyana-Jade Poulin earned player-of-the-game honours for the Ravens after pouring in 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, adding four rebounds and three steals before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.
UNB opened the contest with strong perimeter shooting, highlighted by an early three-pointer from Katie McAffee, but the Ravens kept pace behind Poulin's 10 first-quarter points as Carleton trailed just 22-18 after the opening frame. UNB tried to create separation before halftime, using interior scoring from Butts and timely baskets from Alyssa Jenkins to take a narrow 36–33 lead into the break.
UNB seized control in the third quarter, shooting 8-for-10 from the floor during a decisive run that pushed the margin to double digits midway through the period. The lead ballooned to as many as 11 in the frame as their offence found rhythm both inside and from long range.
Carleton struggled to generate consistent offence down the stretch despite Poulin's efforts. The Ravens shot 39.7 per cent from the field and were limited to just four assists as a team.
McAffee added 11 points for UNB, while Jenkins chipped in 10 off the bench. Nathalie Francis led Carleton on the glass with nine rebounds.
With the win, UNB (26-3, 18-2 AUS) advances to a national semifinal for the first time since 2006, where they'll face the No. 3 seed Calgary Dinos Saturday at 3 p.m. EST/4 p.m. AST.
All games of the U SPORTS championship can be streamed on CBC digital platforms in English and Radio-Canada digital platforms in French.