BRANDON, Man. – The University of Alberta Pandas forced 37 turnovers and turned them into 45 points in a 93-47 win over the Brandon Bobcats on Friday in their season opener.

Alberta set the tone early, scoring 32 points in the first quarter on 10 field goals and five three-pointers to lead 32-16 after 10 minutes. The Pandas extended the lead to 50-31 at halftime and outscored Brandon 25-7 in the third quarter to go ahead 75-38.

Annacy Palmer led the way with 21 points, knocking down five of her nine three-point attempts in just 19 minutes. Reece Hall had a double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds to go with six assists, and Kate White added 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Kiah Easton-Ihediohanma finished with six steals, part of a team total of 24 steals for the Pandas.

Alberta shot 43.2 per cent from the floor and 40 per cent from three, going 14-for-35 from deep, while holding Brandon to 36 per cent shooting overall and 2-for-14 from three-point range. The Pandas also won the battle on the glass 49-30. Abigail Shand led Brandon with 12 points, and Halle Penner added 11.

The win moves Alberta to 1-0 on the season, while Brandon falls to 0-3. The two teams will meet again Saturday night, with Alberta visiting Brandon. The game can be seen live on Canada West TV powered by BioSteel.

-UA-