WBB: Cougars victorious over Timberwolves in second-round match-up.
March 5, 2022
CALGARY - The Regina Cougars were victorious over the UNBC Timberwolves, 77-66, after an explosive fourth quarter.
Both the first and the fourth quarters were deciding factors in tonight's result, with Regina taking control and putting up a dominant performance in both.
Julia Vydrova, a first year post player from Prague, Czech Republic, put on a show tonight with 22 points to her name. Vydrova shot a massive 59 per cent from the field tonight and grabbed eight rebounds. Her performance granted her the player of the game title for this Cougars squad.
"We were just wanting to play fast. They had a game yesterday, they were tired," said Vydrova. "Play fast. Get fouls. Get open shots."
Another standout for Regina was Faith Reid, who's personal showing in the fourth was exactly what the team needed to overpower the Timberwolves.
UNBC led by one going into the final 10 minutes of play, but REG was able to hold them to a mere nine points while putting up 21 of their own.
Reid finished the night with 14 points, two steals and five rebounds.
Northern BC held their own throughout the majority of play, especially right after half. The team started trailing six after the first quarter, and managed to come back thanks to Sveta Boykova and Alina Shakirova.
Boykova was a powerhouse in the paint, grabbing nine rebounds and keeping the Timberwolves on their feet. She also demonstrated her range by shooting 43 percent from the field and adding 15 points to the stat sheet.
But it was Shakirova whose presence, leadership and ability prevented momentum from swaying completely. Shakirova showed her versatility on the hardwood, finishing the night with 15 points and two rebounds.
Her presence was an obvious threat to Regina, and their pressure allowed her to draw six fouls and shoot 100 per cent from the line in favour of the Timberwolves.
"It was really competitive and really challenging and physical but I think both teams did a really good job," said Shakirova. "We lost today but we gave a good battle, we left it all out so it's not like we gave up. We battled. We tried our best. We worked. I think everyone deserves to look at it and say yeah we did a good job."
Regardless of the scoreboard, these two squads were evenly matched for nearly all 40 minutes of play, having the lead change eight times. It was the Cougars quick transitions and full-court press that took the win in the end.
After tonight's game the University of Regina will face-off against the University of Alberta Pandas for the first time this season, in the CW quarter-finals. Mount Royal University will be hosting the game at 5 p.m. Sunday night at Kenyon Court in Calgary.
Catch the game live on Canada West TV presented by Co-op.
Both the first and the fourth quarters were deciding factors in tonight's result, with Regina taking control and putting up a dominant performance in both.
Julia Vydrova, a first year post player from Prague, Czech Republic, put on a show tonight with 22 points to her name. Vydrova shot a massive 59 per cent from the field tonight and grabbed eight rebounds. Her performance granted her the player of the game title for this Cougars squad.
"We were just wanting to play fast. They had a game yesterday, they were tired," said Vydrova. "Play fast. Get fouls. Get open shots."
Another standout for Regina was Faith Reid, who's personal showing in the fourth was exactly what the team needed to overpower the Timberwolves.
UNBC led by one going into the final 10 minutes of play, but REG was able to hold them to a mere nine points while putting up 21 of their own.
Reid finished the night with 14 points, two steals and five rebounds.
Northern BC held their own throughout the majority of play, especially right after half. The team started trailing six after the first quarter, and managed to come back thanks to Sveta Boykova and Alina Shakirova.
Boykova was a powerhouse in the paint, grabbing nine rebounds and keeping the Timberwolves on their feet. She also demonstrated her range by shooting 43 percent from the field and adding 15 points to the stat sheet.
But it was Shakirova whose presence, leadership and ability prevented momentum from swaying completely. Shakirova showed her versatility on the hardwood, finishing the night with 15 points and two rebounds.
Her presence was an obvious threat to Regina, and their pressure allowed her to draw six fouls and shoot 100 per cent from the line in favour of the Timberwolves.
"It was really competitive and really challenging and physical but I think both teams did a really good job," said Shakirova. "We lost today but we gave a good battle, we left it all out so it's not like we gave up. We battled. We tried our best. We worked. I think everyone deserves to look at it and say yeah we did a good job."
Regardless of the scoreboard, these two squads were evenly matched for nearly all 40 minutes of play, having the lead change eight times. It was the Cougars quick transitions and full-court press that took the win in the end.
After tonight's game the University of Regina will face-off against the University of Alberta Pandas for the first time this season, in the CW quarter-finals. Mount Royal University will be hosting the game at 5 p.m. Sunday night at Kenyon Court in Calgary.
Catch the game live on Canada West TV presented by Co-op.