A more competitive second half wasn't enough to get the Winnipeg Wesmen back to even terms with the Alberta Pandas.
 
The Wesmen women's basketball team fell behind 17 points after a quarter and never recovered dropping an 88–52 Canada West conference decision to the Pandas Friday night at the Duckworth Centre.
Alberta jumped out with a 23–6 opening quarter and followed it with 33 points in the second quarter to go into half with a 56–22. 
 
The Wesmen, meanwhile, struggled to find rhythm in the opening 10 minutes, starting 2-for-17 from the field. The Pandas pushed it to as many as 26 in the second quarter on a Rylee Semeniuk three just 2:24 into the quarter. 
 
The Wesmen, however, were better after halftime, holding the Pandas to 37 per cent shooting in the fourth quarter while being outscored just 32-30 in the final 20 minutes. 
 
Raia Guinto paced Winnipeg with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, while Missy May Valdez added nine off the bench and Jennifer Kallon chipped in eight. The Wesmen shot 32 percent overall and 7-for-18 from deep but could not overcome Alberta's size on the glass, getting outrebounded 51–24.
Alberta's bench contributed 42 points, and the Pandas outscored Winnipeg 46–22 in the paint.
 
Kiah Easton-Ihediohanma finished with a game-high 29 points on 9-of-14 shooting to lead the Pandas (9-0), who kept pace with Calgary, Regina and Saskatchewan at the top of the Prairie Division. 
 
The two teams meet again Saturday with tip set for 7 p.m.