By Matthew Davison
The University of Regina Cougars handed the Toronto Metropolitan University Bold (TMU) women’s basketball team its first loss since 2020 in the squad’s pre-season debut.
Cara Misskey scored 17 points, Jade Belmore added 16 points and 11 rebounds and the Cougars bested TMU in a 72-67 victory.
Head coach Carly Clarke continues to be away from the team as she serves as an assistant coach for the Canadian Senior Women’s National Team that is currently competing at the World Cup in Sydney, Australia. Lead assistant coach Shae Dheensaw has taken over duties for the time being.
Much has changed since the home side last took the court in their national championship-clinching win at Queen’s University. There’s a new name, a modified court and a very different looking roster.
It looked like TMU was back to its tenacious ways, jumping out to a 5-0 lead early in Friday’s game off strong defence from returnee Tiya Misir. But this would prove to be their largest lead of the night.
The Cougars dominated the first quarter outscoring the Bold 25-13 and held their opponent to 22 per cent shooting. The Bold uncharacteristically favoured the three-point shot in the first quarter, with 13 of their 18 field goal attempts coming from beyond the arc.
However, they converted on just one of those shots.
TMU also failed to secure a single offensive rebound in the quarter. By the end of the game, Regina had outrebounded TMU 26-11.
The Bold came out with a different approach in the second quarter, utilising the court’s interior with a much higher efficiency contributing to their 20-14 advantage in the frame.
Leading the way for the Bold was second-year guard Jayme Foreman, who had a trio of three-pointers in the final minutes of the quarter. The versatile guard had 16 points in the half, finishing with a game-high 22 points on the night.
The beginning of the back-and-forth third quarter was dominated by the Cougars, who jumped out to a 12-3 run off seven points from Belmore. The Bold cut into the deficit with a scoring run, adding the last 11 points of the quarter, cutting the Cougars’ lead down to 54-47.
Sparking much of the Bold’s offence in the final quarter was Misir, who had six points with two steals in the final frame. She finished with eight points on the night.
Misir and Kaillie Hall—who both made their debuts for the team last season after previously playing in the U.S.—will take on larger roles with the team with many key departures.
A late-game three-pointer from Rachel Farwell cut Regina’s lead to three points with 15 seconds left, but they prevailed with the win after two free throws were converted by Belmore.
Farwell—the team’s key returning veteran—was fairly quiet on the scoresheet Friday night with just eight points on 3-13 shooting, but picked up a team-high ten rebounds. She was a vocal presence for the team, often leading the discussions in the huddle.
The Bold return to the court Saturday to play the Bishop’s Gaiters at the MAC again without Clarke, who is expected to return to the team in the near future.
UP NEXT: TMU will look to capture its first win of the pre-season on Saturday at the MAC against the Bishop’s Gaiters. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
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