Huskies fall to McMaster in U Sports Final 8 semifinal

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team fell one game short in its quest to return to the national final, losing 73-66 to the No. 2 McMaster Marauders in the U Sports Final 8 semifinal on Saturday.

Summer Masikewitch led the way for the Huskies with 21 points and 12 rebounds in the losing effort. Sabine Dukate had 17 points of her own as the Huskies were attempting to play in the national final for second straight year after a 69-48 loss to Carleton a year ago.

McMaster paced the game from start to finish, scoring the game’s first basket and never looking back from there. After trailing 16-13 in the opening quarter, Saskatchewan used accurate shooting to gain a 26-21 lead in the midway through the second quarter.

McMaster’s Sarah Gates would keep the game manageable for her squad as she scored 12 of her 21 points in the second quarter to earn her side a 33-33 tie at the end of the first half.

The Marauders were the better looking team coming out of the break as they were quickly able to build a 59-47 lead by the end of the third quarter.

The Huskies were able to make a late comeback in the game’s final stretch, cutting the lead down to four points with less than a minute left, but ultimately couldn’t catch up to the Marauders.

McMaster is set to play in the program’s first national final while Saskatchewan will play in Sunday’s bronze medal game. Tip off is at 2 p.m.