On Saturday afternoon, the Université Laval Rouge et Or and the University of Alberta Pandas battled it out for fifth place in the women's basketball consolation final, where Rouge et Or fell to the Pandas, 64–38.
“It's a weird feeling to win on a win but no medal. It’s always nice to finish the way this team did," Pandas head coach Scott Edwards said in an interview with The Ubyssey.
Right off the bat, the Pandas secured a 5–0 lead. The Rouge et Or struggled to respond, with a layup by Frédérique Beaudry-Blais starting their scoring in the second minute. Ultimately, Alberta led Laval 18–9 to end the first quarter.
Claire Signatovich led the Pandas’ offence in the first quarter, scoring 8 points out of her 16 points for the game.
The front court proved to be the main battle ground in the second quarter. Laval’s Jennifer Louis missed a layup, to which Signatovich secured the rebound to assist Brigitte Olson’s layup, increasing Alberta's lead to 10 points. They then further increased their lead to 31–17 to end the half.
Laval failed to seize scoring opportunities, including 11 offensive rebounds in the first half, and they continued to struggle to convert possessions offensively. Their field goal rate was a poor 17.6 per cent and their three-point rate was just 7.7 per cent.
Rouge et Or still couldn't find their rhythm in the second half, despite many chances. Sabrine Khelifi managed to grab a defensive board and the ball traded hands a few times before Léa-Sophie Verret managed to make a layup, making Laval’s first basket of the second half, 31–19.
Meanwhile, the Pandas built off their confidence from the first half and turned on the jets. Kiah Easton-Ihediohanma got a trio of triples for the Pandas, increasing their lead to 48–27.
“I think our team just came out really relaxed in the second half, and they felt confident about how they were playing defensively, and just felt, ‘Oh no, we got to actually see if we can get some scoring going,’” said Edwards. “It was nice to watch us play tonight.”
Alberta ended the period 52–27, capitalizing on shooting opportunities. They went 57.1 per cent from beyond the arc, 75 per cent from the field and perfect from the free throw line in the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Lavals’ confidence fell through the cracks, and the team only managed to score 11 points. Although they out-rebounded the Pandas, Laval only shot 19.2 per cent from the field and zero beyond the arc. They ended the game missing 25 three point attempts in a row.
Graduating Rouge et Or Kim Létang finished her university career with a jump shot, but the game ended in defeat, 64–38.
Coming in as the eight-seed and leaving in fifth will set the Pandas up for success next season, while Laval will look to rebound.
This article is part of our 2025 Final 8 coverage. Follow us at @UbysseySports on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, as well as @theubyssey on TikTok, to follow our U Sports basketball coverage starting March 12.
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