SASKATOON - The University of Saskatchewan Huskies are undefeated no longer after a back-and-forth battle went in favour of the visiting Regina Cougars, who won 87-76 on Friday, Nov. 5 at the Physical Activity Complex.

Regina took a five-point lead into halftime and extended the gap after three, outscoring Saskatchewan 26-17 in the third quarter, which was all they needed to come out on top over their provincial rivals.

"We were just inconsistent across the board all over the place. We had some trouble finishing at the rim. We get some defensive breakdowns," said Huskies head coach Barry Rawlyk. "We need to bring a better effort forward tomorrow in terms of playing harder and playing together."

Saskatchewan moves to 2-1 with the loss, while Regina improves to 2-1.

The Cougars were led by Benjamin Hillis, who was 9-14 from the field, including 5-9, as the veteran guard finished his night with 25 points and eight rebounds. 

Cougars head coach Steve Burrows was pleased with Hillis' night and didn't downplay the former Leboldus Golden Suns importance on his program.

"He checks all the boxes. He's the leader. He handles the pressure and tonight he shot the ball well too. Obviously he's going to have the ball in his hand a lot and we trust him to make those decisions," said Burrows.

"He's a fifth-year guy and he's got to be our leader and I thought both of our fifth-years, him and Josiah, we're real solid tonight."

"Josiah Thomas had 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Matt Barnard, Brayden Kuski and Arinze Emeka-Anyakwo also dipped into double-figures in the win.

At the opposite end of the floor, Alexander Dewar was the standout for Saskatchewan. Dewar registered a game-high 30 points on 10-17 shooting, The 2020 Saskatchewan Rattlers draftee is now averaging 20.0 points-per-game this season. 

"He brings the same thing every night. That's the thing that you got to really like about Alex is just his consistency of effort and his production that he brings. He's kind of been the one constant that we've had so far in this early season," said Rawlyk.

While Rawlyk was pleased with Dewar's performance, an area of concern for the bench boss was the team's performance on the glass, as Regina held a 47-26 rebounding advantage.

"That's troubling to me, that's not a recipe for success," said Rawlyk.

Nonetheless, if the Canada West preseason coaches poll tells us anything, these are two of the premier programs in the conference. Saskatchewan earned the number-two billing, while Regina slotted in at number-six.

"This league is competitive. The Huskies are well-deserving of that ranking. They're that team forsure," said Burrows. "We got on the right side of one tonight, but tomorrow could be a different game. That's what this league is. There's no free spots on a bingo card here. They're a well-coached team. They're a good basketball team. We have a lot of respect for them and when you come up here you have to be on your best."

As Burrows alluded to, the two programs will do battle once again tomorrow night at the PAC with tip-off scheduled for 6:00 p.m.