CALGARY – A moment decades in the making. For the first time in their history, the Pandas Basketball program were crowned Canada West Champions. 

Jenna Harpe continued to have the hot hand during the Panda's playoff run, leading the Pandas to a 76-65 win over the University of Calgary inside the Jack Simpson Gym.
 
Harpe finished with a game-high 20 points one game after pouring in a season-high 22 in the upset win at Saskatchewan last weekend. Fifth-year Panda Emma Kary added 13, with CW Defensive Player of the Year Claire Signatovich adding seven points and 20 rebounds. Signatovich became just the 6th player in conference history to record 20 rebounds in a playoff game. 
 
A one-point game midway through the third, the Pandas went on a 10-0 run over a four-minute span to go ahead 52-41 early in the fourth, holding the Dinos off down the stretch to claim their first ever Valerie Girsberger Trophy.
 
"This means everything to this team," Alberta head coach Scott Edwards said. "I'm just so proud of their growth this season and the way they've come together this second term and how well we've played down the end. I get emotional thinking about all the other Panda teams we've had over the decades that have busted their butts and didn't get a chance to win this, so this one is for them, as well."
 
For the Dinos, MacKenzie Trpcic led the way with 12 points, while Annacy Palmer had 11 on an uncharacteristically cold shooting performance by Calgary that saw them finish connecting on just 30.9% (21-68) for the game.
 
"Although we had the jitters in the first half, I thought we solved that in the third," Calgary head coach Damian Jennings said. "It was two good teams going at it, and at the end of the day, I don't think we made the shots and moments that were clinical to momentum and (Alberta) did. It became a bucket game and it just got away from us."
 
Alberta started the game strong, going ahead 12-4 early after a jumper by Rylee Semeniuk. The game settled from there until halftime, where the Pandas held a 35-32 edge.
 
Both squads came out seemingly more poised after the break. Reece Hall drilled a triple half way through the third to give Alberta a 42-38 lead, only to see Palmer respond right back for Calgary with a triple of her own to keep it a one-point game. But the Dinos weren't able to score again until a three by Amalie Collin at the 7:14 mark of the fourth to snap Alberta's 10-0 run.
 
The two teams continued to battle down the stretch. Calgary finally started to heat up – connecting on four of their six triples in the fourth quarter. But every time the Dinos tried to make a run, the Pandas had an answer on seemingly every ensuing possession to keep Calgary at arm's length until the final buzzer sounded.
 
Both Alberta and Calgary will now await the seedings of the U SPORTS Championships, which will be announced Sunday evening. This year's national tournament will be hosted by Cape Breton in Sydney, N.S. March 9-12.