When the Wesmen Winnipeg needed to flip the scoreboard, they turned to their defence.

The Wesmen women's basketball team held the MacEwan Griffins to three points in the second quarter and broke open a close game en route to a 65-49 victory in Canada West conference play Saturday at the Duckworth Centre.

The Wesmen improved to 5-11 and stayed in a playoff spot thanks to a sweep of the Griffins in advance of a home-and-home series with the Manitoba Bisons that starts Thursday at the Duckworth.

Winnipeg held the Griffins (1-15) to one field goal — a Noelle Kilbreath three with 6:48 to go — in the second quarter as the visitors shot 1-for-16. In the same span, the Wesmen scored 18 points and took a 39-24 lead into halftime.

Anna Kernaghan had a season-high 19 points while adding a career-high seven steals, and seven rebounds and four assists. Raia Guinto added 16 points, and Carmen Hiebert had nine points and 10 rebounds, her second straight game in double digits on the glass. 

Winnipeg led by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter off the strength of a 12-3 run.

Kilbreath finished with 17 points to lead the Griffins, and Unity Obasuyi scored 13 with seven rebounds off the bench.