DAVID LARKINS, Wesmen Athletics

Tanya McKay would have loved to focus on all the positives of her basketball team.

After all, the Winnipeg Wesmen women's team opened the game on a 10-0 run, held the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack without a point for the first 6:30 of the game and kept the visitors to 1-for-15 shooting from three in the first half. 

Yet the frustration with how the Wesmen finished the game was what lingered with the U of W head coach after her squad posted a 63-55 win to move them to 6-9 on the season while dealing a blow to TRU in the quest for a playoff spot. 

"I think it was a great first half. Really disappointed with our effort in the second half," McKay said. "I think the kids didn't respect Thompson in the second half and they should have. We knew their game plan. They're a very good three-point shooting team. ... It's just disappointing we didn't play well in the second half."

Faith Hezekiah had 24 points and 11 rebounds -- her ninth double-double of the season and 11th time over 20 points -- to lead the Wesmen, who led by as many as 20 in the first half before the Wolfpack tried to rally with a more on-point shooting performance in the final 20 minutes.

The Wesmen shot 36.8 per cent from the field (25-for-68) and 5-for-21 from three. 

"We haven't shot the ball well on the road all year except for once at UBC (in November)," TRU head coach Scott Reeves said. "... We gotta shoot the ball better on the road. We were horrible in the first half. That isn't going to get it done. And I think you can see the difference in the second half when our shots started falling. That's kinda how we liked to play. It opens up some other stuff."

Robyn Boulanger had 11 points off the bench plus five rebounds for Winnipeg.

Michelle Bos led three Wolfpack scorers in double figures with 18 points to go along with seven rebounds. Jordon Haggerty added 14 points and eight rebounds and Kanesha Reeves added 12. 

TRU finished 9-for-35 for three, going six of 18 after half. The Wolfpack shot 19-for-67 from the field.

Photo: Shanlee McLennan/Wesmen Athletics