Zachary Worden, Cougar Athletics
CALGARY – The Mount Royal University Cougars and Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack tipped off their weekend series Friday night at Kenyon Court.
The Wolfpack were able to come away with a 67-59 victory after a tightly contested game. They were led by Michelle Bos who finished with 19 points and seven rebounds. Jordon Haggerty chipped in to the Wolfpack efforts on the glass with eight rebounds and Leilani Carney contributed 11 points while making three three-pointers. The Wolfpack found their success from the three-point line and the free throw line, making seven threes and 16 free-throws.
The Cougars found their offense in Abbey Gillette, Becky Nash and Maria Blanco Belver who all finished with 10 points. Gillette ended the game with five rebounds and six assists in addition to her scoring efforts, while Nash and Blanco Belver add seven and five rebounds each. The Cougars dominated the rebounding battle in the game grabbing 11 more than the Wolfpack.
The Cougars came out of the gate playing lockdown defense and getting whatever they wanted on the offensive end. Nash led the attack for the Cougars early who took a double-digit lead in the first four minutes of the game. The Wolfpack were able to respond to the Cougars hot start with a 7-0 run to keep the game within reach. The Cougars were sparked by Blanco Belver who made two threes and scored 8 points in the quarter. After a competitive first quarter, the Cougars led 18-17.
The tight battle continued into the second quarter as the two teams went back and forth looking to gain an edge. The Cougars moved the ball using the whole team to score their points, as six different players scored in the quarter. The Wolfpack used their three-point shooting and Bos' 10 points in the quarter to take a three-point lead going to into half. The Cougars found success shooting in the half making 42% of their shots and 75% from three.
The Cougars kept up the defensive intensity coming out of the half, putting pressure on the Wolfpack ballhandlers. Once the Wolfpack were able to work the ball over half they were able to find open shots in the corners and expand their lead throughout the quarter. Carney came out of the break and found open space and converted on her looks with nine points in the quarter. The Cougars looked to work the ball inside on offense for high percentage shots. A last-second basket from Michelle Tiffany for the Cougars, cut the Wolfpack lead to nine heading into the final quarter.
The fourth began with both teams finding success on the offensive glass, securing extra possessions. The Cougars fought to get back into the game, but the Wolfpack were able to keep up with the Cougar energy, keeping their double-digit lead heading into the final minutes of the game. The Cougars didn't get discouraged and kept fighting grabbing the momentum and cutting the Wolfpack lead to single digits with a minute and a half remaining. When the buzzer sounded the Cougars comeback push came up short and the Wolfpack took the first game of the series.
The two teams will be back at it Saturday afternoon at Kenyon Court. Tip-Off is 4 p.m. MDT and the game can be streamed live on www.canadawest.com.