VICTORIA (U SPORTS) – The Laval Rouge et Or came out like a team possessed on Saturday afternoon, charging to a 45-29 half-time lead over the Queen’s Gaels on their way to a 78-67 victory in their ArcelorMittal Dofasco U SPORTS Women’s Final 8 semifinal at the CARSA Performance Gym.

The Rouge et Or move on to the final on Sunday, where they will play the winner of Saturday’s second semifinal between Carleton and McGill at 1:00 p.m. PT on Sportsnet 360 and Sportsnet Now. The Gaels will match up with the loser of that game with a chance to take home bronze..  

For a team that entered the tournament seeded seventh after earning the wild-card berth, earning a trip to the national final was a particularly special accomplishment. 

“This group is really focused now, they want to win and are engaged in the game plan so we are happy,” said Laval head coach Guillaume Giroux.  

Third-year guard Claudia Émond followed her on the boxscore with 17 points and was named Player of the Game for her efforts. Laval was led on offence by fourth-year forward Raphaëlle Côté, who registered a double-double with a team-high 19 points and 11 rebounds to go with three assists.  

“I’m a good shooter and in the first they let me shoot,” said Côté. “Those are shots I have to take and I did.” 

The Rouge et Or experienced a slight power outage on offence in the fourth quarter, shooting just 30.8 per cent from the field, but their consistency through the first three quarters carried them to victory. Laval shot 50 per cent from the floor in both the first and third quarters and 46.7 per cent in the second.  

“We struggled a bit more in the second half,” said Giroux. “We allowed 38 points too. We have to fix that and make sure that doesn’t happen tomorrow.” 

“In the first quarter they burned us really badly from the three-point line and as we squeezed out they penetrated the whole second quarter to score at the rim or get fouled,” said Queen’s head coach Dave Wilson.  

“It was a great adjustment by coach Giroux.”

Gemma Bullard had a big game for Queen’s on offence, registering 17 points to lead the Gaels in scoring. Teammate Robyn Pearson had a strong game on the boards, grabbing 11 defensive boards and 13 rebounds total.  

“That’s the beauty of having veterans … they remain calm in the face of the storm and bring the energy even when you’re getting crushed a little bit,” said Wilson when asked about Bullard. 

With the victory, Laval will have a chance to play for their first Bronze Baby in program history on Sunday. That game will take place at 1:00 p.m. PT on Sportsnet 360 and Sportsnet Now.

STAT LEADERS

LAV: 22-23-17-16: 78

QUE: 17-12-22-16: 67

Laval Rouge et Or

Points: Raphaëlle Côté (19), Claudia Émond (17), Jane Gagné (14)

Rebounds: Raphaëlle Côté (11), Jane Gagné (5)

Assists: Claudia Émond (4), Raphaëlle Côté (3), Jane Gagné (3)

Player of the game: Claudia Émond

Queen’s Gaels

Points: Gemma Bullard (17), Emily Hazlett (15), Andrea Priamo (9) 

Rebounds: Robyn Pearson (13), Bridget Mulholland (4), Abby Dixon (4)

Assists: Emily Hazlett (3)

Player of the game: Gemma Bullard

SCHEDULE & RESULTS (all times PT)

Thursday, March 9

12:00 p.m. Quarter-final 1: No.3 Queen’s (60) vs. No. 6 Cape Breton (51) (USPORTS.LIVE) 

2:00 p.m. Quarter-final 2: No. 2 Saskatchewan (59) vs. No. 7 Laval (69) (USPORTS.LIVE) 

6:00 p.m. Quarter-final 3: No. 4 McGill (72) vs. No. 5 Regina (62) (USPORTS.LIVE) 

8:00 p.m. Quarter-final 4: No. 1 Carleton (77) vs. No. 8 Victoria (66) (USPORTS.LIVE)

Friday, March 10

6:00 p.m. Consolation 1: Cape Breton (51) vs. Saskatchewan (65) (USPORTS.LIVE)

8:00 p.m. Consolation 2: Regina (78) vs. Victoria (64) (USPORTS.LIVE)

Saturday, March 11

2:00 p.m. Semifinal 1: Queen’s (67) vs. Laval (78) (Sportsnet 360/SN Now)

4:00 p.m. Semifinal 2: McGill vs. Carleton (Sportsnet 360/SN Now)

7:00 p.m. Saskatchewan vs. Regina (USPORTS.LIVE)

Sunday, March 12

10:00 a.m. Queen’s vs. Loser of Semifinal 2 (USPORTS.LIVE)

1:00 p.m. Laval vs. Winner of Semifinal 2 (Sportsnet 360/SN Now)