Dinos sweep the Huskies in opening weekend of women’s basketball season
By Maggie Hsu, November 8 2024—
The Dinos’ women’s basketball team made a statement this past weekend as they stole the weekend from the Saskatchewan Huskies. It was an important win for the Dinos as their most recent win was almost five years ago on Jan. 25, 2020. More importantly, they start the season with a vengeful win as the Huskies ousted them from the National Championships earlier this year in March.
The Dinos had a slow start, with the Huskies going on an 11-2 run during the sixth minute of the game, but they fought back with their own 11-0 run to claw back the lead. With a balanced offensive and defensive approach, they outmaneuvered the Huskies at every turn. Myriam Kone stood out with a decisive 24 points in 36 minutes played. Third-year forward, Louise Rouse was dominant under the net with 12 defensive rebounds, totalling 15 rebounds in 35 minutes of play.
The second half started slowly, as both teams struggled to find the scoreboard during the first two minutes. The Huskies tightened up their defense going into the second half, pushing the Dinos outside of the arc, forcing them to make three-point shots, and collapsing anytime a Dinos player tried to break into the key.
Dinos broke through and took the lead, and the eventual win as the scoreboard settled at 64-54 for the Dinos in their first game at home.
“It’s just exciting to get going.” said Coach Damian Jennings on returning to Jack Simpson Gym for regular season basketball. “There’s a familiarity for both teams. We have a lot of respect for the standard of play that they have. So it’s fun for us to be able to look at our hard work and what we’ve been doing.”
The intensity heightened on Saturday in their second matchup of the double-header. In a nailbiting finish, Mya Proctor and Kone emerged as the heroes. Proctor stopped a Huskies offensive approach with a steal, passing to Kone to sink a clutch game-winner with 4.9 seconds left on the clock for a 65-63 victory, completing the weekend sweep against the Huskies. This game winning play highlighted the team’s cohesion and communication as they dismantled the first of their schedule of fierce competitors this season with ease.
“We’re competing hard and we’re here for a bigger purpose and trying to stick together no matter what.” Kone commented on the team’s performance. “Going to Nationals and losing [we left] with this bittersweet feeling — it was tough. So I think that memory of last year just made us think about getting rid of the chip on our shoulder.”
Kone’s efforts did not go unnoticed as she was named Canada West Athlete of the Week on November fifth. Her accolade not only speaks to her talent but underscores her role in leading the Dinos’ campaign this season, as they strive to stay at the top of their conference in a bid to make another appearance at Nationals this season.
What’s Next?
With two early wins, the Dinos will ride this high into Edmonton for Week 2 and the latest edition of the Battle of Alberta. The Dinos visit the Alberta Pandas for their season opener with a double header on Nov. 8 and 9.