Jordan Korol finished just shy of another double-double for the Heat women’s basketball team, but on Saturday night it was the stout defence of the Regina Cougars that was too much for UBC Okanagan to handle at U of R’s Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.
The No. 10 ranked Cougars captured the 82-43 victory as they allowed the Heat to shoot just 23 per cent from the field and 20 per cent from deep.
Brianna Falk had another solid game for the Heat on both ends of the floor as she had six points along with nine rebounds, including four rebounds on the offensive end.
Like they did a night earlier, the Cougars took control of this one early. The home side scored 14 consecutive points over three and a half minutes in the first quarter to open up a double-digit lead, and a 9-0 run in the second helped them get ahead 39-20 at the half.
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Regina simply outgunned UBC Okanagan in the third quarter, outscoring the Heat by a 24-8 margin.
Kyanna Giles again led the Cougars in scoring and rebounding, collecting 20 points and 11 boards for her sixth double-double of the Canada West schedule. Angela Bongomin got the start for the second straight night and responded with another nice game, going 6-for-7 from the field and finishing with 14 points.
Faith Reid gave the Cougars an offensive spark off the bench, drilling three three-pointers and scoring 15 points in just 19 minutes on the floor.
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The Heat drop to 0-16 on the year with four more opportunities for their first conference win of the year. They’ll close out the year with a pair of home games against both MacEwan Jan. 18 and 19 and then Victoria Jan. 25 and 26 over the next two weekends.
The last four games will be exciting events at UBC Okanagan with the ‘Shoot for the Cure’ game Jan. 18, a 10-year celebration of the 2008-09 men’s basketball provincial champion team Jan. 19, a Bell Let’s Talk special game Jan. 25, and then closing out with the annual senior player celebration Jan. 26.
The win officially nails down a playoff berth for the Cougars, who will head to the postseason for the 24th consecutive year as they continue an impressive streak that started way back in 1996. They’ll hit the road each of the following two weeks, with away games against Thompson Rivers Jan. 18 and 19 and Winnipeg Jan. 25 and 26 upcoming.
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