COUGAR WOMEN HEADED TO NATIONALS AS 4TH SEED

OTTAWA, Ont. – Canadian Interuniversity Sport announced Sunday the seeding for next weekend’s CIS Women’s Basketball Championship, with the University of Regina earning the No. 4 seed after going 17-3 in conference play and placing second at the Canada West Final Four.

The Cougars will match up against Ontario University Sport champion and No. 5-seeded Ryerson on Thursday in the quarterfinals. It will mark the first time that the two teams have ever met in a CIS Championship game.

With a scheduled start of 8 p.m. ADT, the Regina/Ryerson matchup will be the last of the four quarterfinal games to be played.

“The four/five matchup is always a tough one and this one won’t be any different,” Cougars head coach Dave Taylor said. “They’re an extremely well-coached team with Carly Clarke leading them, they’ve got a potential Nan Copp winner, and they’re one of the highest-tempo teams in the country. It’ll be a great challenge for us.”

Making matters even more interesting, that potential Nan Copp award winner – given to the CIS Player of the Year – has a University of Regina connection. Ryerson guard Keneca Pingue-Giles is the older sibling of twin sisters Kyanna Giles and Kyia Giles, both stars at Sisler High School in Winnipeg who have committed to the Cougars for the 2016-17 season.

Other quarterfinal games include No. 2 Saskatchewan against No. 7-seeded Ottawa (1:00 ADT), No. 3 Saint Mary’s squaring off against No. 6 Alberta (3:00), and top-seeded McGill taking on host New Brunswick (6:00). The two consolation semifinals will be played on Friday, with the semifinals and consolation final to be played on Saturday and the championship game and third-place game scheduled for Sunday.

All 11 games will be webcast at www.cis-sic.tv. Saturday’s semifinals will also be broadcast on Sportsnet ONE, while Sunday’s final will be picked up live by Sportsnet 360.

(Courtesy Braden Konschuh/Cougar Athletics)