Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
REGINA – It was always going to be an uphill battle for the MacEwan Griffins women's basketball team squaring off against the Prairie Division-leading Regina Cougars.
So, although they were trying their best to win on Friday, it was as much about using the contest as a litmus test for their season-long growth.
The Griffins lost to the Cougars 80-20 in preseason – albeit without most of their veterans – so their 77-43 loss on Friday felt like some progress, even if they have a long way to go.
"I think it's a really good measuring stick for us because we have seen them earlier," said Griffins head coach Katherine Adams. "It's the second time around and it's a few months later. Our lineup is certainly different than when we played them the first time and little bit different from what we've gone with in the first semester. Adapting to some different situations, I thought the girls responded pretty well to it.
"I'm happy with the compete that the girls showed up with today, but maybe not the overall result."
With the result, MacEwan falls to 0-9 in the Canada West standings, while Regina improves to 9-2. The teams will meet again on Saturday (5 p.m. MT, Canada West TV).
Canada West leading scorer Jade Belmore led the Cougars with 23 points and nine rebounds, while Brenna Metz (15), Izzi Fust (14) and Cara Misskey (13) also all hit double digits.
Sarah Burnell had her best game of the season for the Griffins, narrowly missing a double double with 12 points and nine rebounds, while MacEwan leading scorer Unity Obasuyi chipped in 10 points in just 15 minutes after missing most of the first half getting checked out following a hard collision in the first quarter.
Unity Obasuyi makes a big return to the match with six third quarter points, but @MacEwanGriffins trail @ReginaCougarWBB 64-31 after 30 minutes.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/6lpV0FnaD0
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Basketball Team (@Griffins_WBB) January 11, 2025
"We certainly missed her a little bit," said Adams. "She came back in the second half and showcased what she has for us all year. Certainly missed her there in the first half, for sure."
But Burnell was the heartbeat of the team in her first double digit performance of the season.
"Sarah was managing a bit of an injury in the first semester," said Adams. "It's really good to see her back to her energetic self and giving us that high intensity, high energy play we're used to seeing from her. She showcased that really well today, rebounding the ball and shooting the ball, and creating some good things at the offensive end for us."
Sarah Burnell hits two of her team-leading nine points in the first half. The @MacEwanGriffins trail @ReginaCougarWBB 40-19 through 20 minutes.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/iQgqTB0t7T
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Basketball Team (@Griffins_WBB) January 11, 2025
As a team, the Griffins instituted improvements as the game went on, which is something positive they'll take out of the loss.
"If you don't look at the scoreline, some of the things we talked about during the game, we executed, and we were able to come away being pretty happy with doing a better job taking care of the ball," said Adams. "In the first half, we had 16 turnovers and in the second half, we ended the game with 23.
"Also, we limited their offensive rebounds. They were one of the most assertive offensive rebounding teams in the conference and we held them to 11 total on the night."
