Pingue-Giles rallies Rams past Cougars at ArcelorMittal Dofasco CIS women’s basketball championship

FREDERICTON (CIS) – Keneca Pingue-Giles, a fifth-year guard from Ryerson University, was named the CIS player of the year in women's basketball, Wednesday night. On Thursday, she showed why, scoring 29 points to lead Ryerson Rams over Regina Cougars in a 73 – 70 decision.

Despite Pingue-Giles efforts, it was hardly a one-sided affair. With four minutes to go in the first half, the score was 30 – 30. With three minutes to go in the third-quarter, the score was tied at 46. But half way through the last quarter, the Ryerson advantage became evident as the Rams built up a 65 – 57 lead.

Charlotte Kot scored 18 points for the Cougars, and Kehlsie Crone added another 14.

At the end of game, Pingue-Giles wasn't aware of her points total until told by reporters. "I had a good night, I guess, but it wasn't only me. It was a team effort. We got stops at key moments, which got them a bit frazzled and we were able to execute our game plan," she said.

"Getting to the Final 4 is a big deal. It feels great. We were at the finals last year, and that makes a difference today. We know the level of the competition, we know what to bring," she said.

"We have never played McGill, but they are a top team for a reason. We know we have confidence in ourselves to deliver at key moments," she said.

Ryerson Rams coach Carly Clarke was excited about the win. "This is the second year in a row, and we move again to the medal rounds. It was a team effort today. Our 5th year players were composed and determined, and they passed that confidence on to the younger players. Now we will face McGill. They are number 1 for a reason, and we have to learn a lot about them, in the day off. It will be an interesting battle."

Regina Cougars coach Dave Taylor said that Keneca Pingue-Giles was the difference in today's game. "She came as advertised. We took away the key, but then she shot 6 for 10 at the 3-point line. On the whole, we gave Ryerson too much of a cushion. We have pride in our program, we want to win the next two games.

Ryerson will play McGill in the semi-final round on Sunday. Regina will face UNB tomorrow in consolation game number 2 at 8 pm.

STAT LEADERS:

RYE: 18-18-25-12: 73
REG: 17-17-14-22: 70

Ryerson
Points: Keneca Pingue-Giles (29), Sofia Paska(18)
Rebounds: Sofia Paska (10), Silvana Jez (7)
Assists: Mariah Nunes (7)

Player of the game: Keneca Pingue-Giles

Regina
Points: Charlotte Kot (18), Kehlsie Crone (14)
Rebounds: Kehlsie Crone (7), Sidney Dobner (7)
Assists: Sidney Dobner (5)

Player of the game: Charlotte Kot

SCHEDULE & RESULTS (all times ATLANTIC)

Thursday, March 17
13:00 Quarter-final 1: No. 7 Ottawa 62vs. No. 2 Saskatchewan 73
15:00 Quarter-final 2: No. 6 Alberta 52 vs. No. 3 Saint Mary's 53
18:00 Quarter-final 3: No. 8 UNB 52 vs. No. 1 McGill 58
20:00 Quarter-final 4: No. 5 Ryerson 73 vs. No. 4 Regina 70

Friday, March 18
18:00 Consolation 1: Ottawa vs. Alberta(www.CIS-SIC.tv)
20:00 Consolation 2: UNB vs. Regina(www.CIS-SIC.tv)

Saturday, March 19
12:00 Semifinal 1: Saskatchewan vs. Saint Mary's (SportsnetONE / www.CIS-SIC.tv) *
14:30 Semifinal 2: McGill vs. Ryerson(SportsnetONE / www.CIS-SIC.tv) *
17:00 5th-place game (www.CIS-SIC.tv)

Sunday, March 20
10:00 Bronze (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
13:00 Final (Sportsnet 360 / www.CIS-SIC.tv) *

* Webcast of the semifinals & final are on pay-per-view basis.