NAIT Ooks take on the Red Deer Polytechnique Queens in game 6 of the 2025 Womens Basketball Championships
NAIT Ooks soar to a victory, defeating RDP 77-52 led by a stellar 41-point performance from Payton Neilson. Rory Vandermeer contributed 13 points and 8 rebounds, while Grace Culshaw had a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds. NAIT shot an impressive 50.8% from the field and capitalized on their opportunities, converting 90.9% of their free throws.
For RDP, Rachel Harvey stood out with 20 points and 14 rebounds, but the team's shooting struggles, hitting only 33.3% from the floor, hindered their efforts. Avery Stypula chipped in 11 points off the bench, but it wasn't enough to overcome NAIT's efficient offence.
The Ooks limited RDP's offensive flow and forced 17 turnovers, capitalizing on RDP's mistakes to keep the game in their control. NAIT's ability to convert on those turnovers and their solid rebounding effort, where they out-rebounded RDP 36-26, gave them an edge that RDP couldn't overcome.
It was a well-rounded effort from NAIT, combining Neilson's scoring explosion with strong performances from Vandermeer, Culshaw, and the rest of the team. We will see the Ooks back on the court tomorrow at 1:00 pm, going head-to-head with Keyano for a 5th place spot.
Players of the game:
NAIT # 6 Payton Neilson
RDP #11 Rachel Harvey