QUARTERFINAL #4: CIS championship: Second half run leads No. 4 Regina past Laval 69-54

Photo credit Michael P. Hall / Written by Shawn Whiteley
 
HAMILTON (CIS) – The fourth-seeded Regina Cougars put together two second-half runs en route to a 69-54 victory over the No. 5 Laval Rouge et Or Friday night in the last quarter-final duel of the CIS women’s basketball championship at McMaster University’s Burridge Gym.
 
Championship web site (complete stats): http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/wbkb

Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upgUQkh0dl8

In the second meeting between the two teams in the past three years at the Nationals, Canada West finalist Regina came out on top.
 
Quebec champion Laval held the lead the entire first half and took a 31-23 advantage into the break. In the first quarter, Laval went on a 10-2 run in the opening five minutes and led by as many as 10 points, 27-17, with 4:35 left in the second period.
 
In the third quarter, Regina put together an 11-0 run over the first four minutes to take their first lead of the ball game 34-31 with 6:34 remaining. For the final six minutes of the third stanza there were six lead changes and three ties with the Cougars up by four points, 50-46, after 30 minutes.
 
In the first five minutes of the fourth, Regina put together a 9-2 run extending its lead to 11 points 59-48 highlighted by a clutch three-pointer from senior Gabrielle Gheyssen of Indian Head, Sask.
 
Leading the offence for the winning side was sophomore guard Joanna Zalesiak of Gorzow Wielkopolski, Poland who was named Regina player of the game after she led all scorers with 23 points, seven rebounds and four steals.  
 
Junior Brittany Read of Regina recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds for the double-double. Also in double figures in scoring for the Cougars were Gheyssen and Lindsay Ledingham, also of Regina, who chipped in with 11 and 10 points respectively.
 
“We had a great second half when we needed a great second half,” said Regina head coach Dave Taylor, who led his troops to the national final the past two years. “Our game plan was to rebound on defence and attack hard on offence, and we really executed after halftime. Our big players had to play big, and Joanna and Brittany did just that.”

“Our staff played the good cop / bad cop routine with the girls at halftime. I drew the role of the bad cop and I played it pretty well.”
 
For Laval, sophomore Elyse Jobin of Moncton, N.B., and senior Myriam Lamarre of Quebec City, both tallied 12 points, with QSSF rookie of the year Marie-Pascale Nadeau of Lévis, Que., adding 11. 
 
“In the second half we just couldn’t hit a shot when we needed to,” said Laval head coach Linda Marquis. “When the game was close down the stretch we were not patient enough as a team. It wasn’t anything they did differently on defence, we had our open looks, we just went cold from the field.”
 
After shooting just 25.7% (9-for-35) in the first half, Regina came out shooting after the break connecting on 53.3% (16-for-30). Laval finished the contest shooting 31.1% (19-for-61) from the field, dropping from 37.9% before the intermission to 25.0% in the second half.
 
The Cougars outrebounded Laval 41-32 and outscored the Rouge et Or 30-14 in the paint. 
 
GAME NOTES: Regina’s lone CIS championship came in 2001 when they defeated Alberta 94-85 in the gold-medal final... The last CIS tournament meeting between these two teams was in 2008 when Regina defeated Laval 73-63 in overtime in the semifinals… The semi-final matchup Saturday night versus No. 1 Simon Fraser and No. 4 Regina is a rematch of the 2009 championship game, won 68-62 by SFU, and last week’s Canada West final where the Clan defeated Regina 92-62... Simon Fraser beat No. 8 McMaster 94-76 earlier Friday to advance...  

STAT LEADERS
 
Regina
Points: Joanna Zalesiak (23), Brittany Read (16), Gabrielle Gheyssen (11)
Rebounds: Brittany Read (10), Lindsay Ledingham (7), Joanna Zalesiak (7)
Assists: Lindsay Ledingham (4)
 
Russell Athletics player of the game: Joanna Zalesiak
 
Laval
Points: Elyse Jobin (12), Myriam Lamarre (12), Marie-Pascale Nadeau (11)
Rebounds: Chanelle St-Amour (9), Elyse Jobin (6), Marie-Michelle Genois (6)
Assists: Chanelle St-Amour (2), Myriam Lamarre (2), Julie Chapados (2)
 
Russell Athletics player of the game: Elyse Jobin
 

SCHEDULE & RESULTS
 
Friday, March 12
 
Quarter-final #1: Windsor 64, Ottawa 46
Quarter-final #2: Saskatchewan 70, Cape Breton 54
Quarter-final #3: Simon Fraser 94, McMaster 76
Quarter-final #4: Regina 69, Laval 54
 
Saturday, March 13
 
13:00 Consolation #1: No. 7 Ottawa vs No. 6 Cape Breton
15:00 Consolation #2: Loser QF #3 vs. No. 5 Laval
18:00 Semifinal #1: No. 2 Windsor vs. No. 3 Saskatchewan (Cable 14 & SSN Canada)
20:00 Semifinal #2: No. 1 Simon Fraser vs. No. 4 Regina (Cable 14 & SSN Canada)
 
Sunday, March 14 

10:00 5th place
12:00 Bronze medal (Cable 14 & SSN Canada)
15:00 Championship final (TSN2 & SSN Canada)
 
 
-CIS-