LETHBRIDGE, AB - The Saskatchwan Huskies were looking to grab the weekend sweet of the Lethbridge Pronghorns on Saturday night. Mission accomplished for the U SPORTS seventh ranked Huskies as they nabbed the 91-74 win.
The loss drops the Pronghorns to 5-9 on the season, while the Huskies improve to 10-2. Pronghorns Head Coach Davet Waknuk said his team's showing against the high-powered Huskies - who were led by Carly Ahlstrom's 36-point outing Saturday - is something to build off of.
"This (weekend) we showed we can play with some of the best and hung with one of the best teams in the league. That's the number one defence in the league and we're scoring well above our average, so there are positives to take."
On Saturday Ahlstrom proved too much to contain for the Pronghorns.
"Their star player showed why she's a star," said Waknuk. "She was in foul trouble (Friday) night and had 36 points (Saturday) and she worked hard for that 36. She's a special player, she's one of the best in the league and you can see why. I had the pleasure of coaching her on the provincial team, so I've seen that up close. But she has gotten so much better since I've coached her. She's one of the elite players and it's not like we didn't have ideas on trying to stop her, she's just very tough to stop. She's like a sudden force on the court. She just makes so much happen. She was the difference."
The Huskies got off to a quick 24-13 start after the first quarter, but the Horns were able to pull close with 22 points in the second quarter to trail 47-35 at the half.
Saskatchewan won the final two quarters to seal the win for their eighth straight win, moving them into a tie for first in the Canada West with the Regina Cougars.
Pronghorns Jessica Haenni led the teaml with 21 points, while Haily Weaver added 19. The Pronghorns totaled 16 team assists Saturday night,.
Saskatchewan was lead by Ahlstrom's impressive performance, along with Logan Reider's 17 points, and Maya Flindall's 13.
The Pronghorns shot 41.7 per cent from the field, 41.2 per cent from the three-point line and 81 per cent on free throws. Saskatchewan was 50.7 per cent front the field, 48.1 per cent from beyond the arc and 83.3 per cent on free throws.
The Huskies will head back to Alberta next weekend to take on the Univeristy of Calgary Dinos. Live stream is available on CanadaWest.TV. Next home games for the Huskies are on January 27 & 28 against the Trinity Western Spartans. Tickets are available at HuskieTickets.com.
