EDMONTON - Third-year Annacy Palmer had a team-high 18 points as the U SPORTS #7 ranked Alberta Pandas took down their crosstown rival MacEwan Griffins 69-46 Friday evening at the Saville Centre.

It was a tight first half, but the Pandas were ferocious on the ball in the second, leading to an impressive 38 forced turnovers in the contest, compared to just 18 of their own. Palmer was joined in the winning effort by Claire Signatovich, the reigning Canada West Defensive Player of the Year, who collected a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double.

It was an important win for the Pandas, who at 17-2 are locked in a battle for the first seed in the Prairie Division, which would secure home-court advantage for the entirety of the Canada West playoffs. They are tied record-wise with the Saskatchewan Huskies, but due to their sweep at the hands of their Saskatoon counterparts, they do not hold the tiebreaker and thus need some help from the Brandon Bobcats to capture the top seed on the final day of the season.

The Griffins slide to 2-17 with the loss, tied with the Bobcats for last place in the division. Unity Obasuyi paced the visitors and led the game with 19 points, and while they were loose in possession, they had a good night shooting, recording a 39.5% mark from the floor, four percent higher than Alberta.

The Griffins were strong from the opening tip, playing tenacious defense and scoring off turnovers in a 15-12 first-quarter win. Reece Hall led all scorers with six points in the frame, but the Pandas were unable to get a good stretch going as MacEwan forced six turnovers to Alberta's two. Obasuyi scored five to lead the visitors as they headed into the second with momentum.

It was a wild, back-and-forth frame in the second, featuring the Pandas retaking the lead early with some Annacy Palmer free throws. However, in a quarter that featured three lead changes, the Griffins would strike back and stay ahead for the majority of the frame behind a quarter-high seven points from Obasuyi. Palmer and the Pandas would sneak back into the lead late in the half to take a 27-26 edge at the break.

Alberta exploded on offense in the third quarter, thanks to a phenomenal stretch where Jayden Tanner recorded two consecutive steals, leading to five quick points and a lead they would only build on as the frame progressed. They outscored the visitors 28-7 in the third, with Palmer scoring 11, taking a 55-33 lead into the final frame. Alberta kept their momentum going in the fourth, winning the quarter 14-13 as they rode their strong defensive play to a 69-46 victory.

The teams return to action tomorrow at 5 PM MST on the final day of regular-season action in the conference.