Nicole Betker, Huskie Athletics

SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan guard Lawrence Moore neared a triple-double in a 93-80 Huskies win over provincial rival the University of Regina Cougars Friday night on Ron & Jane Graham Court at the PAC.

The fourth-year from Chicago, Illinois was one rebound shy of reaching the benchmark. Moore tallied 24 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds, four steals and three blocks playing all 40 minutes of the game.  

Four other Huskies recorded double digits including a double-double by Joseph Barker with 17 points and 12 rebounds. JT Robinson added another 19 points and Alex Unruh scored 16. 

Brian Ofori led the Cougars in the loss with 20 points, while Alex Igual added another 16 and Shaquille Harris 12. Igual led the Cougars on the boards with seven rebounds.

With the eighth straight win, the Huskies improve to 10-9 in the final weekend of men's basketball.  Regina is also 10-9.

Regina opened the game with a 7-0 lead and was ahead for the majority of the first quarter.  With one-minute left, the Huskies tied the game at 17 on a Barker shot. They closed with five straight points for the 22-17 lead. 

The Cougars wouldn't regain the lead again until the final minute of the first half. Both teams traded points and were tied at 37 at halftime. 

Midway through the third, Unruh sparked a Huskies' run and Saskatchewan never looked back. The Huskies led 64-60 at the end of three quarters.

Down by four entering the final 10 minutes, the Cougars kept pace with the Huskies tying the game at 66. But three Unruh shots from beyond the arc set up a 9-0 for Saskatchewan and a 75-66 lead. The Cougars couldn't recover in the rest of the frame and were down by as much as 16 in the quarter.

Regina finished the game shooting at 43.5%, while the Huskies shot at 50.7%. Saskatchewan also won the battle on the boards outrebounding the Cougars 38-28. 

The two provincial rivals will meet again Saturday night at the PAC. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.