SASKATOON, Sask. — Téa DeMong was nearly perfect from the field, connecting on all but one of her eight field goal attempts and outpacing all shooters with 22 points, propelling the University of Saskatchewan Huskies to a dominant 93-70 victory over the UBC Thunderbirds on Saturday night (Nov. 22), at Ron and Jane Graham Centre Court inside the Physical Activity Complex.
Not only was DeMong efficient from the floor, but her strong presence inside forced T-Bird defenders into foul trouble, leading to a 7-for-9 night from the line for the fifth-year forward. DeMong helped set a physical tone for Saskatchewan throughout the game as the Dogs finished with 40 points in the paint, 13 second-chance points, and 23 points off turnovers.
With DeMong commanding attention from the UBC defence inside, the rest of her teammates were able to capitalize.
Gage Grassick turned in a double-double performance with 16 points and 10 assists. Meanwhile,
Maya Flindall added 13 points, and
Logan Reider followed closely with 12.
The Huskies victory marks their eighth of the season and eighth straight against the Thunderbirds. Saskatchewan has not lost to UBC since the 2018–19 season and is 14-1 against the T-Birds over their last 15 meetings. Now a perfect 8-0 through the early part of their 2025–26 campaign, the win helps the Dogs keep pace in a stacked Prairie Division, as Alberta, Calgary, and Regina also boast 8-0 records.
After falling to the Huskies in last night's matchup, the loss marks the first back-to-back setbacks of the season for the T-Birds, who drop to 5-3 but still maintain the second seed in the Pacific Division.
In the first quarter, both teams came out trying to establish a physical presence, working the ball inside and getting to the line. Of the 34 total points scored in the frame, 28 came either in the paint or from the charity stripe. It was the Dogs who converted more of their opportunities and closed the opening ten minutes up 21-13.
Drives to the rim and quick ball movement helped open up looks for the Huskies in the second, with DeMong and Flindall each connecting on threes as the team shot 71.4% from the field. Still, the Dogs continued to lean on their rebounding advantage, tallying 22 points in the paint and 10 second-chance points in the frame to take a 46-31 lead into halftime.
Coming out of the break, both the Huskies and T-Birds ramped up the physicality. Over the quarter, the teams combined for 19 personal fouls and 28 attempts from the line. DeMong tallied eight points in the frame, and Flindall knocked down two more threes as the Huskies closed the third on a 14-1 run over the final two minutes.
Down 28 entering the fourth and with desperation setting in, the T-Birds continued to battle, ultimately outscoring the Huskies 21-16 in the final frame. UBC got 16 of those points from the bench, while Stella LeGrange picked up five of her team-leading 14 points in the last ten minutes, but it wasn't nearly enough as the Dogs dribbled out the final seconds to secure the win.
With the Christmas break looming, the Huskies will close out 2025 at home next weekend with two games against the Brandon Bobcats (3-7) beginning Friday, Nov. 28.
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