The University of Saskatchewan Huskies won their third women’s basketball national title in 10 years with an 85-66 victory over the Carleton University Ravens in Vancouver on March 16, 2025. (Photo: Jacob Mallari/UBC Thunderbirds)
The University of Saskatchewan Huskies won their third women’s basketball national title in 10 years with an 85-66 victory over the Carleton University Ravens in Vancouver on March 16, 2025. (Photo: Jacob Mallari/UBC Thunderbirds)

Huskies riding remarkable record-setting winning streak

It’s been 432 days since the defending national champion Huskie women’s basketball team last lost a game.

By James Shewaga

Over that remarkable run, the Huskies have amassed a record-setting 40-game winning streak while completing an entire calendar year without a loss – including all 34 exhibition, regular season and playoff games in 2025 – and brought a U SPORTS championship title back to the University of Saskatchewan (USask).

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies won their third women’s basketball national title in 10 years with an 85-66 victory over the Carleton University Ravens in Vancouver on March 16, 2025. (Photo: Jacob Mallari/UBC Thunderbirds)
Lisa Thomaidis. (Photo: Huskie Athletics)

“It’s incredibly special. I didn’t realize this until (team digital media co-ordinator) Connor Jay told me after our last game versus Brandon,” said Huskies head coach Lisa Thomaidis, whose team hasn’t lost a game since coming up just a shot short in a 65-63 setback to the University of Calgary Dinos back on Nov. 2, 2024. “What an amazing calendar year this team has had! We are really proud of the 40 wins in a row.”

The record run will be put to the test immediately to start the second half of the season. The Huskies return from the holiday break this weekend and travel to Edmonton to battle the No.2-ranked University of Alberta Pandas in a highly anticipated head-to-head battle of the top two teams in the country. The month of January will actually feature a trio of tough tests against nationally ranked teams for the Huskies, who will also face the No.4-ranked Dinos and the No.7-ranked University of Regina Cougars, with all four teams sporting perfect 10-0 records and holding their own national championship hopes.

“Yes, the second half of the season is really going to be a gauntlet of games versus ranked opponents,” said Thomaidis, whose talented team also features five Academic All-Canadians who all sported averages of better than 80 per cent while completing full course loads in 2024/25. “It’s a daunting task, but to be honest, I think we are all really looking forward to the challenges. I think playing tough opponents brings out the best in our team and will expose weaknesses that we’ll need to address before playoffs begin.”

With a star-studded roster led by 2025 national player of the year Gage Grassick, the No.1-ranked Huskies have set their sights on repeating as national champions, but know just how difficult that challenge will be.

“The collective personality of this team is one of toughness and competitiveness, so they are very determined to improve upon both their individual and team performance,” said Thomaidis, the reigning Canada West coach of the year who has guided her Huskies to three national championships in the past 10 years, including an 85-66 victory over the Carleton University Ravens in the national final in Vancouver on March 16, 2025. “They are very driven to get back to nationals, but we all know there is a long way to go before we can even start thinking about that.”

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies won their third women’s basketball national title in 10 years with an 85-66 victory over the Carleton University Ravens in Vancouver on March 16, 2025. (Photo: Jacob Mallari/UBC Thunderbirds)
Members of the USask Huskie women’s basketball team hoist the Bronze Baby trophy after winning the 2024/25 U SPORTS national championship on March 16 in Vancouver. (Photo: Jacob Mallari/UBC Thunderbirds)

HUSKIE HIGHLIGHTS: In addition to USask’s No.1-ranked women’s basketball team, five other Huskies squads are ranked in the top 10 in the country. The Huskie men’s and women’s wrestling teams are both No.2 in U SPORTS, while USask’s women’s track and field team is ranked third, men’s hockey is seventh, and men’s volleyball is ranked 10th in the country … Head coach Jason Reindl’s Huskies track and field team will host the annual Sanderson Classic on Friday and Saturday at the Saskatoon Field House. USask will also host this year’s Canada West track and field championships on Feb. 20-21 … Other action at USask this weekend includes: Huskie men’s and women’s volleyball teams host the UBC Thunderbirds on Friday and Saturday at the Physical Activity Complex, while Huskie women’s hockey hosts the University of Manitoba Bisons at Merlis Belsher Place Friday and Saturday … Professional Women’s Hockey League player Kaitlin Willoughby of the Montreal Victoire will be this year’s keynote speaker at the 2026 Huskie Women of Influence Breakfast scheduled for Feb. 10 at TCU Place. Willoughby is a USask graduate and former Huskie women’s hockey all-star from Prince Albert … The Huskies will also host the annual University of Saskatchewan Athletic Wall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 24 at Crossmount Cider Company. This year’s induction class features former women’s hockey player Breanne George, football player Brent Schneider, builder Todd Hinds, the 2009-10 men’s basketball team, and the 1999-00 and 2000-01 women’s track and field teams.