QUEBEC CITY, Que. – Windsor native Korissa Williams had a game-best 26 points, and the No. 1 Windsor Lancers women's basketball team started off the ArcelorMittal Dofasco CIS women's basketball championship with a convincing 91-57 victory over the No. 8 Laval Rouge-et-Or in their quarter-final match on Thursday night at the PEPS Gymnasium.

Williams added 10 rebounds for a double-double while also tallying seven assists and seven steals. Cheyanne Roger also recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 boards for the Lancers, who move on to the championships semifinals on Saturday. Raphaelle Cote had a team-high 18 points in a losing cause for Laval, who moves into the consolation side of the bracket.

Sparked by a boisterous home crowd, the Rouge-et-Or came out with an excitable pace to begin the third quarter-final of the day. Some quick transition baskets helped the championship hosts keep pace with the defending banner-winners early in the first.

 After picking up five quick points, however, Williams forced a Laval turnover and then found an open LaRocque for a three, catalyzing a substantial run for the Lancers through the middle portion of the quarter. After Andrea Kiss finished off a well-executed passing play for Windsor, Laval coach Sonia Ritchie called timeout with her team down by eight.

 However, after another turnover right after the timeout, Kiss picked up a running lay-up while taking some punishment and converted her ensuing free throw to maintain the Windsor streak, which was mercifully stopped after the Lancers accumulated 16 straight points. The women took a 23-9 lead into the second quarter.

 Laval came out with good energy to begin the second, going basket-for-basket with the No. 1 Lancers while shoring up their defense, resulting in a pair of Windsor turnovers. The defending champions, however, continued to feast upon some unforced turnovers from the Rouge-et-Or, making it difficult for the home side to gain any sort of momentum.

Kristine LaLonde hit a jumper from beyond the arc, and Emily Prevost followed that with two made foul shots, extending the Windsor lead beyond 20. Another three from Caitlyn Longmuir put the stamp on a dominant first half, which ended with the Lancers ahead 45-17. Windsor outrebounded Laval 23-12 through two quarters and Williams led all scorers with 12 points.

Windsor incrementally built its lead throughout the third stanza, stymieing any comeback aspirations from entering the minds of the Rouge-et-Or, whose home crowd maintained persistent enthusiasm throughout the remainder of the contest. The audience was spurred on by the work of Cote, who earned back-to-back three-point plays in the post, much to the delight of the Laval following.

The Lancers, however, would cruise through the final two quarters of play to book their place in the national semifinals, shooting a formidable 46.8% from the floor, compared to 35.1% from the hosts. Windsor outrebounded Laval 38-26, and was 26-of-30 from the foul-line while the Rouge-et-Or were 16-of-22.

 The Lancers extend their CIS post-season winning streak to 19 games (not including CIS Regional play), and are looking to become just the second team in CIS history to win five-straight women's basketball national banners, and the first since Laurentian accomplished the feat from 1975-1979.

 The women will play either the No. 4 ranked Saskatchewan Huskies or the No. 5 Alberta Pandas in the championship semi-finals on Saturday with tip-off set for 2:30 p.m. The contest will be available live on Sportsnet One and at cis-sic.tv on a pay-per-view basis.