By Francesco Cautillo

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team clinched back-to-back U Sports Championships following a 77-68 victory over the University of New Brunswick (UNB) Reds at the Ampithéâtre Desjardins at Laval University on Sunday evening. With this victory, the Huskies claim their fourth national title in a decade, solidifying themselves amongst the great dynasties in U Sports women’s basketball history. 

The Huskies finished their season nearly undefeated, with their only loss coming to the University of Calgary Dinos in the Canada West semi-finals.

Saskatchewans head coach Lisa Thomaidis spoke on the loss and her team’s adversity, stating “that loss in the semi-final was quite a setback, but we knew we deserved to be here and I think it reminded us how hard it is to win at this level and how tough you have to play.”

Both teams faced difficult opponents on their collision course to the final. Most recently, the Reds took down the bronze medal winner Dinos, with the Huskies overcoming the heated fans of championship hosts, the Laval University Rouge et Or, on the other side of the bracket.

Saskatchewan eagerly kicked off their scoring with five straight points to start before UNB could establish themselves. However, the Reds were able to find their first basket in flashy fashion, as fourth-year guard Katie McAffee bounced her inbound pass off a Huskies defender, retrieving the ball herself and knocking down the layup.

An explosion of points followed McAffee’s basket, with both teams finding the efficient form that fans have seen all weekend. Despite UNB opening up for many three-point attempts, they were unable to bury an efficient amount to keep them in contention with their opponents who seemed the more overall team, finding balanced points from free throws and deep shots. 

After the first 10 minutes, Saskatchewan’s clicking offense remained unchecked for, giving the Canada West side a comfortable 25-13 lead.

The second quarter appeared like a fencing match, with each team exchanging fast break layups, hoping to stop the other’s momentum with fouls or stoppages.

Although the effort of the Reds was still exceptional, it was no match for the prowess of the Huskies offense, who ended the half in front 42 to 32, scoring the most first-half points by any team in the tournament.

UNB knew an electric start would be needed to claw themselves back into the game, so the Reds came out a completely different team after the break, celebrating every basket and even more on every Huskies possession loss. 

After two successfully made free throws by fifth-year guard Alyssa Jenkins, UNB topped off a 13-2 run in the opening seven minutes of the second half, coming back to lead 45-44. Not only had they ignited a spark on offense, but the East coast squad had somehow found the answer to the Huskies offensive masterclass.

“We knew they were going to throw everything at us, but we’re just going to stick to our game plans and run our offenses,” said fourth-year Huskies guard Logan Reider.

Only 10 minutes remained in the 2025-26 U Sports season and Saskatchewan clenched a mere two-point lead, ending the third quarter score at 52-50.

The two teams fought for as many points as possible but the defences on both sides limited opposing opportunities.

Unable to find a passing option, Reider nailed a buzzer-beater three-pointer to bring the Huskies’ lead to 69-63 with just under three minutes remaining.

“My teammates had the confidence in me to shoot those and be able to make them and just being able to get me open,” said Reider on her crucial long range bucket.

Even with their late game fight, the Reds could not hold back their opponents who were able to reset and get back to their attacking ways.

“It’s incredible. This group came in and a bunch of them have been here for six years because they came during COVID. They persevered, worked their tails off to get to this point where they’re the best team in the country for the last two seasons,” said Thomaidis.

With the final buzzer rung, the scoreboard signalled a 77-68 Huskies win and the end of the U Sports Women’s Final 8, and the Saskatchewan faithful awaited their second meeting with the iconic Bronze Baby trophy.