Box Score
EDMONTON - Led by the inside-outside combo of Kendra Asleson and Sally Hillier, the University of Alberta Pandas basketball team downed the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns 68-44 to sweep a two-game weekend series Friday night at the Saville Community Sports Centre.
Forward Asleson and guard Hillier, both in their third seasons donning the Evergreen and Gold, registered 13 points and one assist each in a win that improves Alberta to a record of 4-2 in the Prairie division of Canada West. Edmonton native and third-year forward Saskia Van Ginhoven’s showed her power in the paint, adding nine points, four rebounds, and an assist.
For the Pronghorns, third-year guard Ali Cameron shone for the second game in a row, shooting six-for-seven from the free-throw line and recording a game-high 17 points and five steals. Katlyn Olsen, a fourth-year guard who went two-for-three from three-point range, contributed 10 points.
After rattling off 29 straight first-quarter points one night ago, the Pandas got off to another quick start as Renee Byrne, a second-year guard who attended Canada’s junior basketball camp over the summer, continued her hot shooting beyond the arc. Byrne was good on both of her attempts in the quarter, spurring Alberta to an 8-0 run and a 20-9 lead. The Pandas have now outscored their opponents in the first quarter by a 131-70 margin.
Much like the night before, the Pronghorn attack rebounded in the second quarter. Despite 14 points from the visitors, Alberta countered with the savvy Hillier, who helped neutralize the Lethbridge burst with seven points in the frame.
Things came apart for the Pronghorns in the third, unfortunately, as Lethbridge only managed four points and the Pandas turned an 18-point surge into a 26-point lead heading into the final period.
With less than five minutes remaining in the game and an Alberta win all but confirmed, Alberta’s Kendall Lydon brought the home crowd out of their seats with the play of the game. Controlling the ball to the left of the paint, the rookie guard, who played her high school basketball at St. Alberta Catholic, spun off a defender and found Asleson on the weak side for an easy deuce. The bucket punctuated a two-game series in which the Pandas outscored the Pronghorns 142-90.
Next week, Alberta faces two tough tests as they play hosts to Pacific division heavyweights: the University of Victoria Vikes and University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. Lethbridge returns home to face the University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves and Mount Royal Cougars in back-to-back games.
