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Two wins separate the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team from repeating as national champions.
The Huskies are through to the semi-finals of the U Sports women’s basketball national championship, defeating the UBC Thunderbirds 71-55 on Thursday night in quarter-final action.
Read more:
- Huskies determined to seize wildcard opportunity at U Sports women’s basketball nationals
- Huskies star Gage Grassick named Canada West player of the year for second time
- Huskies await playoff fate after Canada West women’s basketball semis loss
Leading from the first quarter onward, the Huskies dictated the pace of play Thursday to lead the Thunderbirds 19-11 after the opening frame.
Not much separated the Canada West rivals in the second quarter with UBC hitting shots more effectively, however the Huskies delivered the final dagger with star guard Gage Grassick nailing a three-pointer at the buzzer to stretch their lead to eight at halftime.
The bank is open! 💰 pic.twitter.com/WFT4V5CJUQ
— USask Huskies Women’s Basketball (@HuskieWBB) March 5, 2026
As the Thunderbirds’ offence trailed off in the second half, it was the opposite case for the Huskies scoring 37 points over the final 20 minutes of action to secure the win and keep their season alive.
Named a first team all-Canadian on Wednesday, Grassick led the charge with a game-high 25 points and was named Saskatchewan’s player of the game.
Fellow pending graduate Ella Murphy Wiebe contributed 16 points and eight rebounds in the win for the Huskies, while Maya Flindall and Andrea Dodig rounded out the team’s scoring with 11 points each.
While the Huskies advance, the Thunderbirds will now play on the consolation side of the U Sports championship bracket.
It’s the Huskies’ first win since Feb. 14 when they defeated the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades in Canada West quarter-finals.
The Huskies would see their 51-game win streak dating back to Nov. 2024 snapped on Feb. 21 with a 61-58 loss to the University of Calgary Dinos in conference semi-finals, forcing the team to rely on an at-large wildcard berth to qualify for nationals.
Read more:
- Huskies determined to seize wildcard opportunity at U Sports women’s basketball nationals
- Huskies star Gage Grassick named Canada West player of the year for second time
- Huskies await playoff fate after Canada West women’s basketball semis loss
The Huskies will now advance to Saturday’s national semi-final game where they’ll face the host Laval Rouge et Or, who upset the top-ranked Toronto Metropolitan University Bold 57-54 in the late quarter-final.
A win in that semi-final would see the Huskies advance to their third consecutive national championship game, which will be played on Sunday in Quebec City, Que.
