The Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team is ready to battle for the U Sports national championship.
The squad needed a gritty effort to get past the Regina Cougars on March 1 during the Canada West conference final, pulling out a 53-49 win at the Physical Activity Complex.
“With this Canada West title, we know that we’re capable of going all the way to the end and maybe playing for a national championship banner,” Huskies forward Summer Masikewich said on March 1.
“That’s all in our minds right now and we know what it feels like to play for that and we’re hungry, we want to get back to that game so I’m excited.”
With the win, they earned the No. 3 seed for the national tournament, which tips off March 7 in Toronto.
Saskatchewan will open against the sixth seed, the Acadia Axewomen, in a rematch of last year’s quarter-finals.
“It’s going to be the deepest tournament we’ve probably been to. Anyone from top to bottom can win it. There really is no true number 1 or 8th seed, there’s a lot of parity and so we’ll take it one game at a time,” Huskies head coach Lisa Thomaidis said.
WATCH BELOW: Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team proud of silver medal at 2018 nationals
Saskatchewan is in the U Sports Final 8 for the sixth straight season, a run that includes a gold medal in 2016 and a silver last season.
Masikewich was named the conference’s female first star of the week after posting 18 points and 14 rebounds in last Friday’s win over the Cougars. She was also honoured as the Canada West women’s athlete for February by averaging 16.3 points and nine rebounds per contest in six games during the month.