Nicole Betker, Huskie Athletics
SASKATOON – The University of Calgary Dinos mounted a second half comeback in a 77-68 win over the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Saturday on Ron & Jane Graham Centre Court at the PAC.
Down by five after halftime, the Dinos opened the third quarter with a Mambi Diawara jump shot to pull within three. After Saskatchewan scored on the next possession, the Dinos went on an 11-0 run to take an eight-point lead at 48-40. It was Calgary's first lead since the five-minute mark of the second quarter.
With just under two minutes left, the Huskies regained a two-point lead but a three-point shot by Lucas Mannes restored the Dinos' lead. Calgary led by three at 57-53 at the end of the third.
The Huskies tied the game at 57 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter but Calgary pulled away outscoring Saskatchewan 20-15 en route to the win.
Calgary held the slim 19-18 lead after the first 10 minutes in the back-and-forth game that saw 13 lead changes. The Huskies had a 38-35 lead at halftime.
With the sweep, the No. 4 ranked Dinos close the first half of the Canada West men's basketball season at 9-1. Saskatchewan is 2-8. A night earlier, the Dinos won 92-77.
Canada West leading scorer Diawara was impressive in the win leading the Dinos with 33 points – 20 in the second half. Lars Schlueter and Connor Foreman each added nine for Calgary. Foreman led the Dinos on the boards with six rebounds.
Four Huskies scored double-digits in the game. Emmanuel Akintunde led the group with 19 points and eight rebounds. Lawrence Moore added another 18 points, while Addison Dewar scored 11 and Joseph Barker 12. Barker also recorded eight rebounds.
The Huskies shot at 41% in the game, while Calgary shot at 44%. The teams matched each other on the boards with 31 rebounds each.
Saskatchewan and Calgary both return to the court in January. The Huskies travel to Edmonton to meet the MacEwan Griffins January 5-6, while the Dinos meet the Alberta Golden Bears in a home-and-home series starting January 4.