SUNDAY GAMES
- Consolation semifinal: Manitoba vs Brandon, 2 p.m.
- Consolation semifinal: Thompson Rivers vs Mount Royal, 4 p.m.
- Semifinal: Winnipeg vs Guelph, 6 p.m.
- Semifinal: Fraser Valley vs Regina, 8 p.m.
RESULTS
SATURDAY
Fraser Valley 81, Manitoba 55
Esther Allison led five Cascades players in double figures with 15 points and UFV opened the tournament with a convincing win over the Bisons.
Allison added a game-high 10 rebounds. Bernie Leda and Julia Tuchscherer both had 12 points and Mah Schuurman and Maddy Gobeil chipped in 10 apiece.
The Bisons were led by Emerson Martin's 14 points, while Anna Miko added nine and Emily Mandamin eight.
Manitoba made just three of 12 from the free throw line and six of 29 from three, shooting 30.3 per cent from the field.
The Cascades shot 43.5 per cent from the floor and made nine of 27 from three.
Regina 76, Brandon 40
The Cougars opened with a 20-point lead after a quarter and cruised to an opening-day win.
Jade Belmore had a game-high 23 points on 8-for-14 shooting, and added nine rebounds to pace the Cougars. Izzi Fust scored 12 and Rachel Vanderhooft chipped in with 10. Cara Misskey grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
Amaya McLeod had eight points to lead Brandon.
Wesmen 53, Wolfpack 28
The Wesmen got a chance to give everyone a chance to get in on the action Saturday night.
Twelve Wesmen players logged at least 10 minutes — only fifth-year starter Anna Kernaghan enjoyed basically a night off — and the Wesmen cruised into the semifinals with a big win over the Wolfpack.
Kernaghan played just three minutes as the Wesmen got adequate experience for everyone on the roster.
Mattea Teece had a career-high 10 points in 13 minutes to lead the Wesmen. She also grabbed five rebounds and made 2 of 3 from three off the bench. Eleven Wesmen players made the scoresheet and Jasia Hayden was next in the top contributors with eight points, seven rebounds and four steals.
Winnipeg forced 26 TRU turnovers and held the Wolfpack to just nine points in the first half.
Nya Derkach had six to lead TRU.
Guelph 60, Mount Royal 50
The No.9-ranked Gryphons surged in the second half to ensure a spot in the Sunday semifinal.
The Gryphons outlasted MRU on the back of a 34-21 second half and booked a spot on the championship side of the draw.
Renee Armstrong had 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and Hannah Bourdon added 11 points and eight rebounds for the OUA squad, who face the host Wesmen in the first semifinal on Sunday.
Nora Luca topped MRU with 13 points and nine rebounds. Jamie Lalor had 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting and five steals, but surrendered seven of the team's 23 turnovers.
TICKET INFO
Basketball fans can attend all three days of the Classic by purchasing a tournament pass for the low price of $30. Day passes for the 28th and 29th will be sold for $10 and a day pass for the 30th will sell for $15.
All UWinnipeg students will get in free, as will children under 12. Students under 18 can get in for $10 each day.
Tickets can be purchased online now.
RING OF HONOUR
Women's basketball was the featured sport during the 2018 Classic and was the inaugural year of the Wesmen Ring of Honour.
This year, four Wesmen women's basketball legends will have their names elevated into the Ring as they are honoured for their contributions to the program and the department.
Angie Johnson, 1971-1977
The Wesmen's first superstar, Johnson played five seasons with the Wesmen and led the team to two national medals. A national tournament all-star in 1974, Johnson was named one of U Sports top 100 players in 2020. She also had an illustrious international career, suiting up for Canada in the World University Games, World Championship for Women, the Pan-Am Games and the 1976 Olympics.
Deb Steele, 1977-1980
A transfer from the Saint Mary's Huskies, the 6-foot-6 Steele became an instant impact player and spent three seasons setting records for the Wesmen. She helped Winnipeg to three national tournaments and three GPAC titles, with the Wesmen winning silver at the CWIAU championship in 1978. She averaged 15.8 rebounds per game in 1979-80, which still stands as the Wesmen program record, and her 29 rebounds against Regina on Nov. 24, 1979 remain the most in program history for a single game.
Beth Cochran, 1982-1987
A five-time all-Canadian, Cochran was named one of U Sports top 100 players of all time in 2020 after a career in which she led the Wesmen to four national tournaments and a CIAU silver in 1984. A prolific scorer, she averaged more than 20 points per game for her career and remains No. 2 on the Wesmen all-time scoring list. A 6-foot-1 one post, she also put up remarkable rebounding numbers, averaging 14.4 a game in 1982-83, which ranks second all-time in Wesmen program history.
Michelle (Chambers) Foreman, 1988-1993
A foundational member of the signature Wesmen dynasty, Chambers joins her teammate Sandra Carroll and former coach Tom Kendall (Class of 2018) in the Ring of Honour.
Chambers helped the Wesmen to four CIAU tournaments and two GPAC championships. In 1992, when she was a GPAC all-star, the Wesmen were CIAU silver-medallists, and the team finally broke through for the program's first national title in 1993, when Chambers was named tournament MVP.
HIGH SCHOOL 3x3 TOURNAMENT
Wesmen Athletics and Wesmen Basketball are excited to announce a new addition to this year's festivities with a high school three-on-three tournament that will run throughout the tournament during halftimes of Classic games.
The tournament will be an eight-team draw starting with two pools of round robin, followed by a single-elimination playoff bracket including a championship and third-place game. Each game will be eight minutes in duration.
WESMEN CLASSIC T-SHIRT
Once again, a special Wesmen Classic t-shirt has been commissioned for the tournament and will be sold on-site and online. You can get your Classic 'T' for $18 at the
UWinnipeg Bookstore online now.
HARVEST MANITOBA
Throughout the tournament, we will be accepting donations of non-perishable food items for Manitoba Harvest. Bins will be placed near the admissions desk on the second floor of the Duckworth Centre.
