The Lancer women's basketball team has qualified for the OUA's Critelli Cup Final Four for the 10th straight year. 

With three OUA titles in the past four seasons and making their tenth consecutive Final Four appearance, the Windsor Lancers aren't your typical No. 4 seed.  After seeing their streak of three straight provincial championships come to an end last year, the Lancers will take on the top seeded Queen's Gaels in the semifinals on Friday.
Year after year, the Lancers continue to be one of the most balanced teams in the OUA ranking third in both points per game (73.5) and points per game allowed (55.7). 
 
With two of the best rebounding teams in the conference going head-to-head on Friday night, the battle of the boards will surely go a long way to determining who will advance to the Critelli Cup final.  The Gaels have pulled down 47 rebounds per game, the most amongst any remaining team, while Windsor ranks fourth behind other the three Final Four finalists.
 
You can't talk about rebounding with mentioning Lancers fourth-year forward Emily Prevost (Montreal, Que.).  No one grabbed more boards this season than Prevost who led OUA in both offensive (73) and defensive (135) rebounds.  Not only was Prevost one of Windsor's top defensive players but she was also the Lancers top scorer, finishing in the top 10, averaging 14.5 points per game.
 
Prevost isn't the only fourth-year forward the Gaels will have to game plan for as Cheyanne Roger (Etobicoke, Ont.) has proven over the course of her career that she can make teams pay.  Roger is as good as they come in the conference at protecting the basket, as she led the league during the regular season with 41 blocks, eight more than the next closet player.
 
The Lancers got revenge in the quarter-finals, eliminating the defending champion Ryerson Rams 68-50 and avenging their semifinal loss from a season ago.  Prevost recorded a double-double in the win with 23 points and 16 rebounds in a game-high 39 minutes of action.
 
In search of their first OUA championship banner since 2001, the No. 1 seeded Gaels have a chance to bring that streak to an end on their home court. 
 
Like the Lancers, the Gaels are a deep, well-rounded team that can not only score in bunches but stifle their opposition through suffocating defence.  As a team, Queen's averaged 73.7 points on offence during the regular season, while limiting their opponents to just 56.2 points while on defence.
 
As a team, the Gaels got the charity stripe more than anyone this season, averaging 20.6 trips to the free throw line.  Despite shooting just 66.8 percent, the 11^th best mark in OUA, Queen's added on average 13.8 points per game from the line.
 
As the best rebounding team in the conference (if not the country), Queen's controls the glass at both ends of the court.  The Gaels finished the year first in offensive rebounds per game (18.5) and second in defensive rebounds per game (28.5).    
 
If there is anyone that can shut down Prevost, its Gaels fifth-year senior Robyn Pearson (Toronto, Ont.).  Pearson, who was recently selected as an OUA first-team all-star, ranked third in OUA after averaging 10.2 rebounds per game.  The Toronto, Ont. native was only one of five players this season to average a double-double after also recording 10.1 points per game.
 
With one of the deepest rosters in the conference, the Gaels possess several weapons every time they step out onto the court, including fifth-year veteran guard Emily Hazlett (Fredericton, NB).  The shifty Hazlett was the catalyst of a Gaels high-powered offence that averaged the second-most points per game in the province.  The Fredericton, N.B. native finished fifth in the conference with 78 assists over the course of 19 games this season for the Gaels.
 
The depth of the Gaels roster was on full display Saturday as despite just 13 points from Pearson and Hazlett, the Gaels cruised past No. 9 Lakehead 81-53.  Pearson, who was in foul trouble most of the night, finished the game with 10 points and seven rebounds in just 13 minutes of action. 
 
In their only meeting of the season in Windsor earlier this year, Queen's picked up a big 73-56 win on the road.  Despite only playing 20 minutes, Pearson finished with six points and 11 rebounds, while Prevost countered with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Lancers.


CIRTELLI CUP
March 3-4, 2017
Kingston, ON @ Queen's University

Schedule:
OUA Semifinals - March 3, 2017
Game #1: Windsor vs Queen's 6:00pm
Game #2: Carleton vs McMaster 8:00pm

OUA Finals - March 4, 2017
Bronze Medal: 6:00pm
Gold Medal: 8:00pm

Ticket Information:
Tickets for the Final Four can be purchased online by clicking here. 

Broadcast Information: 
All four games of the tournament can be seen LIVE on www.oua.tv

Facility/Directions:
All four games will be played at Queen's Athletics & Recreation Centre (ARC). For directions to the facility, please click here.