Women’s Final 8
Big first quarter leads Winnipeg past Laval in Women’s Final 8 quarters
KINGSTON, Ont. (March 31, 2022) – Julia Chadwick scored 18 points and Emma Weltz added 16 points as the host Queen’s Gaels upset the No. 2 seed Saskatchewan Huskies 62-55 in the final quarterfinal matchup at the U SPORTS Women’s Final 8.
Championship website | Broadcast Information | Box score
A big second quarter propelled the Gaels to the win, outscoring the Huskies 27-11 in the peiod. After Saskatchewan opened the game with a 7-0 run and led 14-9 after the first quarter, the Gaels held a 36-25 lead at halftime.
Weltz, who was named Player of the Game for Queen’s, added four assists and two rebounds.
Laura Donovan also scored in double digits for the Gaels in the win, pouring in 10 points, while Sophie de Goede added 12 rebounds.
“It’s unbelievable,” Weltz said. “To win that game, on our home court, it’s a surreal feeling.”
“Not at one point during that game did we lose our composure at all. We just stayed together throughout the whole game and I think we all knew that was our win.”
Saskatchewan made a comeback in the third quarter, cutting the Queen’s lead to 45-44 heading into the fourth quarter, before the Gaels held on for the win.
“[I’m] Unbelievably impressed with our team’s composure,” said Claire Meadows, the Gaels head coach. “We had belief all along and they made a pretty good push there to take the lead but we showed a lot of maturity and composure and finished a hard fought game.”
The Gaels shot 36.7 per cent from the floor and 29.6 per cent from three-point range, compared to 36.5 per cent from the floor and 25 per cent from three-point range for the Huskies.
Carly Ahlstrom led the way for the Huskies in the losing effort, finishing with a game-high 29 points and eight rebounds. Ahlstrom was named the Huskies Player of the Game.
With the win, Queen’s advanced to the semifinal where they will take on the Winnipeg Wesmen on Saturday at 6 p.m. The Huskies will play in a consolation semifinal against the Laval Rouge et Or on Friday at 8 p.m.
Nike Top Performers
- Queen’s Gaels: Emma Weltz
- Saskatchewan Huskies: Carly Ahlstrom
Tournament Schedule and Results
Thursday
Quarter-finals
#1 Ryerson 80, #8 UPEI 49
#4 Brock 85, #5 Acadia 74
#3 Winnipeg 81, #6 Laval 67
#7 Queen’s 62, #2 Saskatchewan 55
Friday
Consolation games
6 p.m. – UPEI vs. Acadia
8 p.m. – Laval vs. Saskatchewan
Saturday
Semifinals
- 3 p.m. – Ryerson vs. Brock
- 6 p.m. – Winnipeg vs. Queen’s
Sunday
- Noon – 5th-place game
- 3 p.m. – Bronze Medal Game
- 6 p.m. – Championship Game