EDMONTON – Second-team All-Canadian Gage Grassick had a game-high 19 points and added a remarkable seven steals to help lead the top-seeded Saskatchewan Huskies in a 85-54 win over the #8 Calgary Dinos Thursday evening at the Saville Centre.
Saskatchewan impressed on the offensive end, shooting 47.1% from the field and scoring 52 points in the paint, but they really dominated on the defensive end – holding the second-ranked offence in the nation to just 54 points on 39.5% shooting. The Huskies generated 32 turnovers (to Calgary's 17) and won the rebounding battle 42-31 in what was a very strong start to the tournament for the nation's top-ranked squad.
Myriam Kone was the leading scorer for the Dinos with 15 points and added six rebounds and three steals in the losing effort.
The Huskies got off to a strong start behind a stout defensive effort that generated 12 turnovers in the opening quarter. They led 19-9 after one, with the Huskies Tea DeMong scoring a quarter-high six points while teammate Andrea Dodig impressed with three steals and rebounds apiece. They went on an 11-1 run to finish out the opener.
In the second, Saskatchewan built on their already strong lead, holding Calgary to seven and a half scoreless minutes while impressing on the offensive end to go on a remarkable 28-1 cumulative run between the two quarters. The Huskies led in nearly every major statistical category at the break, with Grassic leading all scorers with 11 points on the way to a 41-16 lead.
Calgary regained their composure in a strong third quarter in which they outscored the Huskies 24-17 on 50% shooting from the floor. They were paced by
Mya Proctor and
Myriam Kone who scored nine and seven, respectively, as the offence began to breathe back to life.
However, it would be for naught as the Huskies dominated in the paint in the final frame, scoring 12 points on just eight shots from inside the three-point line en route to the 31-point victory.
The Dinos will face #5 Alberta Friday at 7PM after the host Pandas dropped a 65-57 contest to #4 Laval in Thursday's finale.
Players of the Game
Saskatchewan: #5 Gage Grassick
Calgary: #0
Mya Proctor
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