The Peak

SFU claims Canada West title

By Matt Lee

The Simon Fraser women’s basketball team was looking to re-affirm their Canada West dominance during the division finals, hosting the Final Four tournament in the West Gym on Friday.

Looking to play the role of spoilers were the Saskatchewan Huskies, Regina Cougars, and Alberta Pandas, who were keen on usurping the Clan from West Coast supremacy.

Standing in the way of Simon Fraser’s chance to head back to the CIS national championships were the Saskatchewan Huskies, who were the Clan’s first opponent of the tournament.

It was evident that heading into the tournament the Clan were riding a huge wave of momentum, as the team had strung together another impressive win streak. On top of that, Clan athletes Robyn Buna, Kristina Collins, and Katie Miyazaki took home some serious accolades: Buna was named the conference’s most valuable player, Collins earned rookie of the year honours, while Miyazaki was named the defensive player of the year. Senior post Laurelle Weigl was also named a conference all-star.

As has been the case for the majority of the season, the Clan jumped out to a good start, generating a seven-point lead only five minutes into the contest. But the Huskies brought their best game to the court early, rallying from an early deficit to pull within three.

But senior Matteke Hutzler, a lanky yet graceful 6’4” forward, was a presence through the first 10 minutes, tearing up the Huskies defense with hard drives into the lanes. By the end of the first quarter, the Clan held a 24-18 lead, bucked by Hutzler’s eight points.

In the second quarter, Brea McLaughlin connected on a three-pointer and Buna cashed in on a jumper with a minute remaining in the second quarter to extend the Clan lead to 47-32. By the sound of the final buzzer, SFU was nursing a 50-32 lead into the half, their largest of the game, off a stunning 13-point quarter from Buna.

The Clan once again started the second half in dominant fashion, connecting on two straight three-pointers by Robyn Buna. Only three minutes into the third quarter, the Clan had generated a 12-2 run. By the time the home stretch had begun, SFU was taking advantage of a Huskies team that had been physically beaten to every rebound and outhustled to every free inch of the court. After a frenzied third quarter, the Red and White had built themselves a 76-45 lead.

Once the dust had settled, Buna had generated a game-high 23 points, 15 of which came in the form of three pointers. Lindsay DeGroot led the way for Saskatchewan in the losing effort, pocketing 12 points. Miyazaki finished with a game-high seven steals.

“It’s nice to be going back to nationals,” expressed coach Bruce Langford following the contest. “I thought Robyn started tentatively and I talked to her after the first quarter and she took charge afterwards. She did a much better job, and our posts, Hutzler and Katie [Miyazaki] were all really good.”

Said Buna following the contest: “We know any team can come and play their best game against us so we have to play our best, too. I tried not to think so much and just play my game.”

The win earns the Clan that elusive trip back to the CIS national championship, as the women will journey towards Hamilton in search of their third title in four years.

“It’s been our goal all year long,” concluded Buna. “Hopefully we’ll be playing just as well as we did tonight when we go to Hamilton.” At this rate, chances are they will.

The Clan also competed in the Canada West’s championship game on Saturday night, taking on the Regina Cougars. For full scores and a recap of the match, check athletics.sfu.ca.