WINNIPEG – The No. 1 Saskatchewan Huskies made it 14 straight, defeating the Manitoba Bisons (7-7) 76-43 on Sunday afternoon at Investors Group Athletic Centre.
Guard Sabine Dukate led all scorers with 20 points, while Manitoba was paced by 13 points from forward Emma Thompson.
A towering Huskies lineup made their presence felt inside the paint early in the first. As a team, Saskatchewan collected 21 rebounds compared to Manitoba's 12, led by forward Summer Masikewich's seven. She also paced all scorers with six points, primarily by doing work inside the paint.
Down 15-7, the Bisons went to a three big look in order to break down Saskatchewan's 2-3 zone defence. The tactic paid off with a few key offensive boards and enhanced play driving into the lane. Forward Addison Martin was the prime beneficiary, cutting to the line for six points while narrowing the visitor's lead to 15-11 entering the second period.
After going a combined 0-for-10 from three in the first, both teams began to find their groove. The Huskies went 3-for-5, led by Dukate, who topped all scorers with 12 points including two treys.
Saskatchewan's second three early on was particularly critical, as it increased their lead to eight after Manitoba had missed from the land beyond just prior.
Manitoba responded down the stretch with a triple each from Martin, Thompson and guard Lauren Bartlett, however Saskatchewan held the Bisons to just six boards while collecting 13 themselves and led 42-27 at the half.
Yesterday, the Huskies took control in the third quarter, going on a 17-0 run in a game that was quite close at the half. Today's contest was similar, as the visitors held Manitoba without a point through the first five-and-half minutes of play.
Guard Kyla Shand added four boards and got to the line three times, recording 12 points for Saskatchewan. Manitoba got inspired play defensively from Bartlett, who had a steal, a blocked shot and 11 points entering the fourth period.
The Huskies remained firm defensively in the fourth, holding Manitoba to nine points overall.
"I think we've had a tough time simulating the focus that we've needed in a game plan up to this point, and I think this weekend really highlighted that," Bisons head coach Michele Sung said postgame when asked what her team learned playing against the nation's top team.
"I thought we had a pretty good game plan, but we didn't really get into a flow to get into all aspects of it."
Next up for the Bisons is a home tilt against Regina, while Saskatchewan will host No. 2 Calgary in a battle of undefeated teams.
