Reeta Tulkki tough, Huskies tougher in blowout

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This article was published 20/01/2024 (608 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Reetta Tulkki scored just 13 points in two games the first time she saw the Saskatchewan Huskies two seasons ago.

This time, she led the Brandon University Bobcats with 15 in one game as the nation’s top-ranked women’s basketball team beat them 108-53 at the Healthy Living Centre on Friday.

While it’s been three quick years, Tulkki is set to graduate and leave BU this spring. The import guard, Sydney Teece and former Bobcat Josie Grift will be recognized after today’s Senior Night rematch at 5 p.m.

“It’s gone so fast, it’s crazy to think about that and this semester, it’s gone even faster,” Tulkki said at practice on Wednesday.

“I’m really grateful for the friendships, the people I’ve met and friendships that I’ve made.”

Tulkki joined the Bobcats after former head coach Novell Thomas recruited her out of Tampere, Finland. She had played for the under-20 Finnish national team and came in to immediately impact BU’s lineup.

It took some time to adjust to a Canada West style that’s more physical than the European game, but by December of her first season, she started figuring it out with 22- and 23-point games against the eventual national finalist Winnipeg Wesmen.

Tulkki averaged 12.1 points per game that season, then took a dip to 8.8 last season before bouncing back to a team-high 13.7 entering this weekend.

“We knew coming in she would have an instant impact on our team and be one of the people we looked to, to score and lead our team. You could just tell in practices from the very first practice, she worked so, so hard,” said Teece.

“She worked for the way she plays now, 100 per cent. It’s been so awesome to see her from her first year to this year, she’s amazing and I love her.”

Tulkki tied her career-high with 23 points as the Bobcats nearly upset the Manitoba Bisons on opening weekend, and has steadily shot the ball well while logging 34.4 minutes per game and taking on tough defensive assignments.

“I don’t want to say it’s her breakout year, but she’s come to this level of she knows what she brings she knows how to bring it consistently,” said Bobcats interim head coach Jaime Taggart.

“She knows how to speak to the group in a way they’re all able to receive her, respect what she has to say and heed and work with her. That’s been the leap from last year to this year.”

When Tulkki won Bobcats female athlete of the month for November, she said the team’s efforts would translate to at least one win this semester.

On Sunday, they delivered. After a 32-hour nightmare of a trek to Edmonton and a heartbreaking 68-63 loss on Saturday when the game was tied 63-63 with less than 12 seconds to play, the Bobcats rallied from a 14-1 deficit to trounce the MacEwan Griffins 96-62.

“We should have won on Saturday, too. That was a team we could (beat) and we got the win, finally,” Tulkki said. “It was good. I think we earned it.”

A win like that was simply never in the cards on Friday.

Tulkki and Eden Tabin got tough shots to fall in the paint to keep Saskatchewan’s lead to 8-6 through four minutes.

Tough was an apt description for just about every shot BU took in the first quarter, and an understatement for the task of rebounding on either end of the floor.

The Huskies flocked to every missed shot and out-rebounded the Bobcats 9-0 on their end and 14-10 on Brandon’s net in the first half as they extended a 27-14 lead through 10 minutes to 50-30 at halftime.

Saskatchewan truly didn’t shoot well, making just five of 26 threes while Brandon hit six of 15 through three quarters, but the visitors won the rebound battle 16-1 in the third. They collected five steals and scored 13 points off of them en route to an 80-41 lead with 10 minutes to go.

The Huskies kept their full-court pressure on through the fourth, passing the century mark for the second time this season to cap a 13th-straight conference win.

Through the beatdown, Tulkki managed an impressive 15 points, five assists and four rebounds in 36 minutes.

As sad as it is for the Bobcats as their star continues improving, Tulkki will play one last game on the HLC court today.

“She can run for 40 minutes like I run in two minutes. She can sprint the entire time, she can shoot the entire time, they’re all good shots and she can rebound the lights out,” Tabin said.

“She’s one of the most incredible sportswomen I’ve ever seen in my life.”

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com

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