The Thompson Rivers University WolfPack are back  to a .500 record in Canada West women's basketball.

The WolfPack split their weekend series at home with the Mount Royal University Cougars.  After losing Friday (Jan 3), the Pack beat the Cougars by 10 on Saturday (Jan 4). The score at the Tournament Capital Centre was 74-64.

Thompson Rivers moves to 6-6 while Mount Royal dips to 4-6 on the campaign.

Jordon Haggarty (3^rd year, guard, Saskatoon, SK) had a 'double double' for the WolfPack leading the team with 23 points and had 13 rebounds (nine on the defensive glass).  Leilani Carney (5 th year, guard, Burnaby, BC) had 21 points while Emma Piggin (5^th year guard, Kamloops, BC) had 15 points and 11 boards.

Mount Royal's top offensive threat was team captain Charity Marlatt (5^th year, forward, Cranbrook, BC) with 19 points. She added six rebounds (five on offense).   Marnie Garner (4^th year, guard, Calgary, AB) had 13 points for the Cougars.

SYNOPSIS:

The WolfPack began the game with some inspired play scoring nine second chance points as they took a 18-11 lead after the first quarter. They were led by Haggerty with 7 points while Piggin added six.  Mount Royal's top gunners were Garner and Ella Stanley (2^nd year, point guard, Leduc, AB) with three points apiece.

The Pack had a six-point lead after the first half (34-28) thanks to a big contribution from their bench (outscoring the Cougars in that category 15-6 though the first two quarters).  Carney went on a scoring surge. After only three points in the first quarter, she had nine in the second stanza to tie Haggerty for the team lead with 11 at the break.  Marlatt had eight points in the second quarter to give her a team leading nine at that point of the game.

It was the Cougars who came out firing in the second half and quickly reduced the WolfPack lead to a single point (40-39) with four minutes left in the third period and trailed 51-46 by the end of that quarter.

In the fourth, Mount Royal pulled even and took their first lead since the beginning of the game when they were ahead 3-0.  Janika Martens (1^st year, forward, La Crete, AB) spotted some open space and drove into the basket with just over six minutes left to make it 55-53.
Carney sank back to back threes immediately after that to restore the Pack's lead at 59-56 with five to play. From there, the Pack held on for a ten-point victory.

HIGHLIGHTS:
https://youtu.be/iPfp-GluVoI

THEY SAID IT!

WolfPack head coach Goran Nogic:
https://twitter.com/GoTRUWolfPack/status/1213708717067161602 
 
 
WolfPack guard Emma Piggin (5^th year,Kamloops, BC)
https://twitter.com/GoTRUWolfPack/status/1213708030153379842 
 
Mount Royal Coach Robyn Fleckenstein:
https://twitter.com/GoTRUWolfPack/status/1213708550813315073  
 
NEXT UP:
The WolfPack have a bye next week. They will then kick off a four game Canada West road trip on Friday, January 17^th when they visit the Brandon University Bobcats.  Tip off will be 1130 AM CDT.

The road swing continues the following weekend in Victoria, before Thompson Rivers returns to the TCC on Friday, January 31^st for a weekend series with the University of Fraser Valley Cascades. It's the final home weekend of the regular season for the Pack.

Mount Royal is in action next weekend (Jan 10-11) as they host the Manitoba Bisons. The  above games will be webcast on a pay-per-view basis on Canada West TV presented by Co-op by accessing: https://cw.yaretv.com/.  

Results will be available on the WolfPack social media platforms and their website  www.goWolfPack.ca.