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| Summer Masikewich is one of the Huskies bright young players. |
Lisa Thomaidis can already see the light at the end of the
tunnel for her young team.
The veteran head coach of the University of Saskatchewan
Huskies women’s basketball team knows her squad this season is much different
than the one that claimed a U Sports national title in March. Last season, the
Huskies hit the court with a veteran roster that included four key players in
their fifth and final years of eligibility in Dalyce Emmerson, Laura Dally,
Kelsey Trulsrud and Taya Keujer.
This season, the Huskies take the court with a roster that
contains six players in their first years of eligibility. On Friday at the
Physical Activity Complex, they dropped their regular season home opener 66-63
to the University of Winnipeg Wesmen, who have three players in their fifth
year of eligibility, two players in their fourth year of eligibility and no
rookies.
The Huskies were scrappy, and you got a glimpse of their
potential, but the Wesmen’s experience showed through.
In defeat, Thomaidis found a number positives to build on against
a foe that likes to press on defence and pointed out her side isn’t too far off
from being really good again.
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| Libby Epoch is turning heads as a rookie. |
“It was just a matter finishing. We had a number of open
looks that we couldn’t knock down. We missed a number of free throws.
“We had our opportunities. The game was right there in
hand.”
If the Huskies had shot just a little better of a percentage
from the free-throw line, they would won Friday’s encounter with the Wesmen. U
of S went 20-of-32 from the charity stripe, and that small detail played a big
factor in the end result.
During the setback, the Huskies, who fell to 1-2, still
received strong outings from a number of players. Third-year guard Sascha
Lichtenwald led the Dogs with 17 points and came up with three steals.
Rookies Summer Masikewich and Libby Epoch, who both played
for Canada’s under-18 women’s basketball team, showed they are ready for the
university level chipping in 14 and 12 points respectively. They looked like
they were just scratching the surface of their potential.
Second-year point guard Sabine Dukate was playing her first
game after returning from injury, and she did show some rust. Dukate, who is
from Latvia, was a standout last season, and you can expect it won’t take her
long to return to top form.
Fourth-year guard Antoinette Miller led the way for the
Wesmen, who improved to 3-0, with 26 points and seven rebounds.
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| Sascha Lichtenwald topped the Huskies with 17 points on Friday. |
“She scored a lot at the rim. She got high percentage shots.
We need to do a better job of taking care of her.”
Overall, Thomaidis knew her team would experience some
bumps.
“It was kind of what I expected,” she said. “Having said
that, the game was right there for the taking. We weren’t able to finish it
off.
“Hopefully, we have a better effort tomorrow and better efficiency
in terms of finishing around the hoop.”
The Huskies and Wesmen go at it again at 6:15 p.m. at the
Physical Activity Complex.
Forbes back in the fold
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| Matt Forbes nails a three for the Huskies. |
The U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s basketball team missed
you.
In Friday’s 76-68 regular season win over the U of Winnipeg Wesmen at the
PAC, Forbes showed how important an experienced big man can be. He didn’t led
the way statistically but had sound numbers scoring 13 points and pulling down
10 rebounds. With Forbes on the court, the Huskies seemed to be a little more
settled in their overall team game improving to 2-1.
Originally, Forbes was supposed to play out his fifth year
of eligibility last season, but he was sidelined for the whole campaign after
suffering a foot injury in the Huskies first pre-season game. Without Forbes,
the Huskies posted an 8-12 regular season record and missed the playoffs.
In 2014-15 with Forbes in the lineup, the Huskies finished
with a 15-5 regular season record, made it to the Canada West championship game
falling to U of Victoria Vikes 70-67 and made an appearance at nationals.
While Forbes often faces forwards who are bigger than his
6-foot-6 and 235-pound frame, he wins the physical battle inside on a regular
basis. Unlike most big men, Forbes can also stretch the defence due to his
ability to hit the three-point shot. He nailed two baskets from beyond the arch
on Friday.
Forbes’s presence on the floor helps take pressure off the
rest of his teammates and allows them to take advantage of more favourable
one-on-one match ups.
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| Matt Forbes (#13) organizes a post-game huddle for the Huskies. |
Rookie guard Narcisse Ambanza led the Wesmen with 23 points
as they dropped to 2-1.
The Huskies and Wesmen face each other again at 8 p.m. at
the PAC.
With Forbes back in the fold, the Huskies chances of winning
on any single night got a whole lot better.
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