WBB: Proctor's career performance powers Dinos to CW Final Four
February 18, 2023
CALGARY - The University of Calgary Dinos finished the game on a 13-3 run over the final 2:14 to advance past the Winnipeg Wesmen by a score of 84-74 in a Canada West Quarter-final contest Saturday afternoon from the Jack Simpson Gym.
Anna Kernaghan's jumper with 3:27 left tied the game at 71-71, only to see Calgary's defensive pressure ratchet up and make the key plays when needed while also knocking down the clutch shots in pulling away for the win.
Mya Proctor poured in a career-high 25 points to lead the Dinos, who now advance to the Canada West Final Four for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
Madison Landry (15 points), Annacy Palmer (12) and Pollyanna Storie (11) all also finished in double figures on the afternoon for the Dinos, while Mackenzie Trpcic stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
Julia Schatkowsky had another big performance Saturday with 24 points, a game-high 11 rebounds and five assists. Kernaghan added 14 points and five boards, while Robyn Boulanger - just 24 hours removed from a career-high 29 points - was limited to just 11 points in this one.
"It was a great test for us," Calgary head coach Damian Jennings said. "As we've said before, this is a group that hasn't actually had much time together. That was tested today and that is a testimony to Winnipeg, as well, and a testament to their talent and ability to knock down shots.
"I think our 'D' was a little bit hoping instead of doing what it needed to do early on, and then in that second half it knuckled down.
"Once we got back to our style of play in that second half, we were able to get the win."
In a bit of a choppy first half, the Wesmen held a 19-12 edge through the first 10 minutes, with Kernaghan and Schatkowsky with the hot hands early for 17 of the team's first-quarter points.
After an ice-cold start to the game for the Dinos, Amélie Collin's three pointer with 7:45 left in the half was the first triple of the game for Calgary and lifted a weight off her team's shoulders as the shots started falling. The two teams went back and forth and a steal and transition bucket by Bobbi-Jo Colburn just before the buzzer cut Winnipeg's lead to just 45-43 at the half.
After being held scoreless in the first half, Boulanger finally started to see her shot fall after the break, as her three-pointer gave the Wesmen a 59-58 lead with 2:12 left in the third. But, the Dinos responded in a big way, finishing the quarter on a 10-0 run that was capped by back-to-back triples from Proctor to bring the crowd to its feet.
Winnipeg's veteran group refused to go away quietly, chipping away to start the fourth and tying the game back up at 71-all on Kernaghan's jumper with 3:27 to play.
But a key play that started with a transition steal by Trpcic saw the fifth-year transfer drill her second three-pointer of the game to give the Dinos the lead for good. Proctor added another triple, while Landry and Palmer both added buckets to give Calgary its largest lead of the day at 82-71 with less than a minute to play to seal this one up.
"I think we executed our game plan. We battled them hard for 37 minutes and just sort of lost our heads at the end," Winnipeg head coach Alyssa Cox said. "They (the Dinos) came out on mission in the second half. They stepped up pressure. They're big and they're physical and it just wore us down.
The loss wraps up Winnipeg's season at 16-6 overall.
"This is an incredible group," Cox said when asked about this year's team. "It's going to be tough shoes to fill next year. There's a lot of basketball knowledge and maturity and a lot of just quality people that we're losing. But they've done a great job leading the ship this year and setting the stage for the next group coming up."
The Dinos now await the rest of Saturday's quarter-final contests to learn their opponent and destination for next weekend's semifinals, scheduled for either Feb. 24 or 25.
Anna Kernaghan's jumper with 3:27 left tied the game at 71-71, only to see Calgary's defensive pressure ratchet up and make the key plays when needed while also knocking down the clutch shots in pulling away for the win.
Mya Proctor poured in a career-high 25 points to lead the Dinos, who now advance to the Canada West Final Four for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
Madison Landry (15 points), Annacy Palmer (12) and Pollyanna Storie (11) all also finished in double figures on the afternoon for the Dinos, while Mackenzie Trpcic stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
Julia Schatkowsky had another big performance Saturday with 24 points, a game-high 11 rebounds and five assists. Kernaghan added 14 points and five boards, while Robyn Boulanger - just 24 hours removed from a career-high 29 points - was limited to just 11 points in this one.
"It was a great test for us," Calgary head coach Damian Jennings said. "As we've said before, this is a group that hasn't actually had much time together. That was tested today and that is a testimony to Winnipeg, as well, and a testament to their talent and ability to knock down shots.
"I think our 'D' was a little bit hoping instead of doing what it needed to do early on, and then in that second half it knuckled down.
"Once we got back to our style of play in that second half, we were able to get the win."
In a bit of a choppy first half, the Wesmen held a 19-12 edge through the first 10 minutes, with Kernaghan and Schatkowsky with the hot hands early for 17 of the team's first-quarter points.
After an ice-cold start to the game for the Dinos, Amélie Collin's three pointer with 7:45 left in the half was the first triple of the game for Calgary and lifted a weight off her team's shoulders as the shots started falling. The two teams went back and forth and a steal and transition bucket by Bobbi-Jo Colburn just before the buzzer cut Winnipeg's lead to just 45-43 at the half.
After being held scoreless in the first half, Boulanger finally started to see her shot fall after the break, as her three-pointer gave the Wesmen a 59-58 lead with 2:12 left in the third. But, the Dinos responded in a big way, finishing the quarter on a 10-0 run that was capped by back-to-back triples from Proctor to bring the crowd to its feet.
Winnipeg's veteran group refused to go away quietly, chipping away to start the fourth and tying the game back up at 71-all on Kernaghan's jumper with 3:27 to play.
But a key play that started with a transition steal by Trpcic saw the fifth-year transfer drill her second three-pointer of the game to give the Dinos the lead for good. Proctor added another triple, while Landry and Palmer both added buckets to give Calgary its largest lead of the day at 82-71 with less than a minute to play to seal this one up.
"I think we executed our game plan. We battled them hard for 37 minutes and just sort of lost our heads at the end," Winnipeg head coach Alyssa Cox said. "They (the Dinos) came out on mission in the second half. They stepped up pressure. They're big and they're physical and it just wore us down.
The loss wraps up Winnipeg's season at 16-6 overall.
"This is an incredible group," Cox said when asked about this year's team. "It's going to be tough shoes to fill next year. There's a lot of basketball knowledge and maturity and a lot of just quality people that we're losing. But they've done a great job leading the ship this year and setting the stage for the next group coming up."
The Dinos now await the rest of Saturday's quarter-final contests to learn their opponent and destination for next weekend's semifinals, scheduled for either Feb. 24 or 25.