Domination on the court reaches new high
author: nathan mccarville | sports writer
Women’s basketball team set a school record of most points in single game with 118/Arthur Images
Women’s team set record for single game performance
The team just keeps dominating. The women’s basketball team set a school record for most points scored in a single game, scoring 118 points against the Brandon University Bobcats on Jan. 19.
Most of the domination came early, as the team demolished the Bobcats 35-6 in the first quarter before wrapping up the half with another 30-point quarter. At the time, it was the Cougars’ 9th straight win, and going into this week, they are still going strong.
This past weekend, the University of Regina women’s team have continued their domination of Canada West, beating the University of Winnipeg Wesmen twice over the course of the weekend. During the first game, the Cougars were able to beat the Wesmen by 11 points with a final score of 70-59 for the Cougars, pushing the winning streak to 11 straight games. The Cougars led the game after halftime by 18 points, maintaining the lead for much of the second half of the game. However, the Wesmen were no easy opponent, scoring many of the final points of the game and bringing the game to an end with a score composed of only a handful of baskets behind the Cougars.
The efforts of Winnipeg throughout the game made this one of the closest games that the Cougars have played since their winning streak began, and even still, no team has yet to give our heroines in green a run for the best team in the league. Maintaining a winning streak as the final games of the regular season approach and both the Canada West Finals looms ever closer is key with a national title on the line.
During the second game against the Wesmen, the Cougars only had a six-point lead at the half, yet played such that nearly every possession converted into a basket. The Wesmen were not an easy team to face in this game, either, no matter how well the Cougars played.
Getting the score as close as 8 points, Winnipeg fought for their place on the court, but eventually they couldn’t keep up as the Cougars played proudly from their home court, finishing the game with a score of 89-72, further improving the women’s streak to 12 straight victories against any of the Canada West Varsity teams.
Next weekend, the Cougars are gearing up for their games against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, who currently hold the title for the number two position in the league for wins, though they currently hold the first-place title in the standings due to their RPI, the rating percentage index.
The Cougars have previously played the Huskies in a game during the Cougar Classic on October 14. The game ended with a tight score of 74-73 in the Cougars’ favour. That margin of the win lends some risk to the event, where a win can’t just be expected of the Cougars this time around.
Getting into contact with the head coach of the Cougars women’s basketball team, Dave Taylor, some questions were answered on the subject of the Cougars’ upcoming games against the University of Saskatchewan.
It seems like the Cougars women’s basketball team has become quite unstoppable in terms of the records they have been able to break. In the decade that you have coached the women’s basketball team at the U of R, can you recall another season as promising as the current season standings?
We have had a lot of very strong teams in my 12 years. In the past, we have had teams that have been undefeated in league play and been ranked in the top 1-3 spots in the country. Our goal every year is to be a team that can contend for Canada West and Sport Championships. This team has that ability. We will see at end of year where it ranks compared to past teams.
Do you have anything to say about the upcoming games that the women have against the Huskies, coming right behind the record for the Cougars with 14 wins and 2 losses in the current season? Does the prospect of facing a team of almost equal standing cause any worry/strain to the team? Have you begun to prepare yourself or the team for this in any way?
We have only been worried about playing Winnipeg, as they are on a 10-game winning streak and have the leading scorer in the country. After that, we will focus on the Huskies, knowing that all weekends against the Huskies are big.
What strengths do you believe the Cougars have over the other teams that have allowed them to dominate on the court? Do you think this will transfer over when they finally face the Huskies next weekend?
Our depth separates us from most teams. The night we scored 118 points, we had 63 from our bench. We can put up points in bunches and in different ways. When we play top teams like the Huskies, they can limit our scoring more so we have to get more consistent defensively.
Currently among the best in the league, the Cougars excel into their late season games with the pride of their U of R behind them as they move ever forward into the chance at claiming the national title.
