Blazers Win Big Over Briercrest To Start 2016-17 Preseason
It was just one win, but it was a win that may carry a lot of significance as Women's Basketball prepares for preseason competition on Thanksgiving Weekend in the Alberta Collegiate Athletic Conference and from there, to their first season as members of two conferences.
Winners of eleven out of twelve MCAC regular season games in 2015-16, CMU has never had a dominant record when playing teams outside of their home province to date. On Friday night, those tides turned as the Blazers hosted the ACAC's Briercrest Clippers and entertained their home crowd to the tune of a 68-49 win.
"I think what helped us to win the game was all the time and practice we've put in during the weeks leading up to this," said rookie post Caitlin Fennell. The native of Thompson, Manitoba paced all scorers in the preseason game, accounting for 18 points. "We protected the ball well and limited out turnovers and our ball movement was strong. It give us confidence as we prepare for our first road trip."
Guard Sarah Townsend, who as a rookie captured the 2015-16 MCAC scoring title, was right on target with her previous season's average, knocking down 13 points in support of Friday's win. "We were able to create good chemistry from the get-go allowing for good scoring opportunities because of our teamwork," explained the sophomore, "we knew we were capable of beating Briercrest, we just had to come in with the mind set to work hard and push every point."
The rubber-match of the Briercrest preseason series swings back to Saskatchewan on October 6th and from there the Blazers will travel further west to Calgary for dates with the Ambrose Lions October 7th and 8th.
Wins in this preseason are important for the young team as they are preparing for their first season in two conferences. CMU opens their 2016-17 MCAC schedule at home on October 22nd against the Providence Pilots and will tip-off their inaugural games in the Northern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NIAC) on November 11th and 12th in Plymouth, Minnesota.
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