The University of Regina women’s basketball team will begin their quest for a second Bronze Baby trophy while trying to defend their home court.
The Cougars are hosting the USPORTS Final 8 tournament for the fourth time in the school’s history, and for the first time since 2013.
Regina won the Bronze Baby back in 2001, but only walked away with silver in the 2009 and 2013 tournaments.
The tournament tips off on Thursday and the Cougars — the second-ranked team in the country — will meet Laval Rouge in a first-round of the competition.
Laval and Regina last met in 2010 when the Cougars won 69-54.
The Cougars, freshly coming off a Canada-West championship victory over the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, will look to their playmakers to put them through to the next round.
Kyanna Giles was named a Canada-West first-team all-star after being named the rookie of the year last year. Fifth-year player Charlotte Kot was named a Canada-West third-team all-star as well.
The Cougars could also rely on this year’s Canada-West Rookie of the Year in Carolina Goncalves, who proved to be a difference-maker in the Canada-West final. Goncalves has experience in big games, playing with Portugal’s senior national team for a pair of FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2019 qualifying games.
Tip-off is at 6 p.m. on Thursday. The winner will go on to face either the U of S or Acadia in the semifinals on Saturday.