Everybody gunning for SFU at CIS women's basketball championships

HAMILTON, Ont. - "How do we beat Simon Fraser?"

That's the question seven of the eight teams in this year's CIS women's basketball championships must be asking themselves in preparation for this weekend's tournament.

The Simon Fraser Clan is the top-ranked team in Canada and the defending champions. They are this year's Canada West champions, having steamrolled over the Regina Cougars 92-62 in the finals. They've won three of the last five championships and went 21-1 this year in regular-season and post-season play. The Clan has outscored its opponents by an average of 83-55 this season.

"If we do lose, it's a big deal," said forward Laurelle Weigl. "It's our goal - winning every quarter and winning every game. It would be a disappointment to us if we did lose. There definitely is that pressure."

Weigl and Robyn Buna lead the team with an average of 14.3 points per game in the regular season and playoffs.

But with all but one player returning from last year's championship team, and high expectations all season long, coach Bruce Langford said his team is used to being the favourites.

"We've been ranked number one for quite a while, so it's not an unfamiliar position," he said. "This team is good because it's deep. We've got several players in several positions who are very capable."

The Windsor Lancers probably have the best shot at upsetting Simon Fraser at the tournament, which runs Friday through Sunday at McMaster University. With a record of 24-1 in regular-season and post-season play, and this year's Ontario championship under their belt, the Lancers look strong on paper.

But the team is one of the greenest in the tournament, with four rookies and three second-year players on their roster. The Lancers only have one fifth-year player - guard Shavaun Reaney.

"Even though we have a young team, a lot of the young girls were at the tournament last year. It's a much different feeling to go for the second time," said coach Chantal Vallee.

The team's leading scorer, six-foot-three forward Jessica Clemencon, is a rookie from France and a graduate of their national under-20 team. And Windsor native Bojana Kovacevic is second on the team in scoring, despite being in just her second year of eligibility.

"(Clemencon) has been a huge blessing," Vallee said. "She is a rookie at the CIS level, but she is fortunate experience-wise to have played at the international level. She's seen a lot of great championship tournaments. We tell her, 'You are new here, but you come here as a veteran and you are expected to lead this team."'

The Lancers have only made one previous trip to the national championships, and that was last year when they placed fourth.

They had some success against Canada West teams this season, beating Regina and Alberta in pre-season action. But they were unable to beat Simon Fraser in two pre-season games, losing 65-61 and 81-78.

"Having played them a couple times, it gives us an idea of how strong they are," said Vallee. "Their ball movement is very fast, so we'd have to talk about how to stop that."

A Windsor victory would be the first time in 19 seasons that a team from outside the Canada West conference would capture the Bronze Baby trophy as the top team in university women's basketball. In fact, only two teams from outside Western Canada have made the finals in the last 10 years - Cape Breton in 2005 and Laval in 2001.

"I think the four top teams in Canada tend to be from the west, but it doesn't mean there isn't room for a top team from somewhere else," said Vallee. "I think things are changing. We saw some very good teams coming out of the east last year."

The Saskatchewan Huskies and Regina Cougars - the third and fourth seeds in the tournament respectively - hope Western Canada's domination of women's basketball continues.

Laval Rouge et Or, the Quebec champions and fifth seed in the tournament, will be looking to pull some upsets. It's the Rouge et Or's sixth straight championship appearance, but the team boasts a young roster with nine of the squad's 13 players in their first or second season.

The Cape Breton Capers (Atlantic champions), Ottawa Gee-Gees (Ontario runner-up) and McMaster Marauders (hosts and Ontario quarter-final losers) round out the field.

The only team to conquer the Clan this year is the Victoria Vikes, who squeaked out a buzzer beater to beat Simon Fraser 63-61 during the regular season, ending the Clan's 54-game winning streak in February. But Simon Fraser won't have to worry about the Vikes, since they didn't qualify for this year's tournament.

"The team that wins this is going to be the team that plays the best for three games. It may or may not be the best team on paper," said Vikes coach Brian Cheng. "A team has to believe they can beat (Simon Fraser). They have a reputation, and it's deservedly so. They can come in and get on top of teams psychologically because they have that reputation."