BY DAVID LARKINS, Wesmen Athletics

Faith Hezekiah's 12th double-double of the year wasn't enough to keep the Winnipeg Wesmen from losing back-to-back games for the first time in more than two months.

The No. 3-ranked Regina Cougars led by as many as 15 points in the first half and held Winnipeg off the rest of the way to post an 89-72 win Saturday night in Regina.

Hezekiah had a game-high and season-high 29 points to go along with 12 rebounds for the Wesmen, who trailed 39-24 with 2:21 remaining in the second quarter before closing the half on a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to six. Hezekiah also had four steals, shot 10-for-19 from the field and 9 of 10 from the free-throw line.  

The Wesmen lost two straight for the first time since a four-game losing streak opened the Canada West conference season in November. U of W fell to 12-6, while Regina improved to a conference-best 17-1 with its 12th straight victory.

Antoinette Miller had 28 points and seven rebounds for the Wesmen, who got 10 points off the bench from Robyn Boulanger.

Kyanna Giles led five Regina players in double figures with 22 points, plus a game-high 15 rebounds. Kyia Giles added 15 points, Michaela Kleisinger chipped in 13, Charlotte Kot had 12 and Carolina Goncalves provided another 11 off the bench.

The Wesmen will return home to close the season Friday and Saturday against the UBC-Okanagan Heat. The Saturday night game will be Senior Night for Miller and Skylar Boulanger.

The Wesmen will have a chance in the final weekend of the season to potentially move into the top four playoff spots in the conference.