Connor Hood, Golden Bears and Pandas Athletics
EDMONTON – In a surprisingly tight defensive battle, the visiting Lethbridge Pronghorns earned an upset 76-75 win over the Alberta Golden Bears, in Game 1 of their quarter-final series at Saville Community Sports Centre.
Zac Overwater led Lethbridge with a game-high 22 points on 9/16 shooting, as they take a 1-0 series lead over the Golden Bears. Colton Gibb added 14 points for the 'Horns, who led for a majority of the game.
In arguably their best defensive performance of the season, Lethbridge held Alberta to just 41% shooting, and just 35 points in the second half. The Bears shot just 14% from deep, mustering just six made shots in the fourth quarter.
Andre Kelly led the Bears with 19 points, with Dwan Williams adding 12.
The two rivals played with pace and intensity in the opening quarter, with the Bears leading 23-21 after one. Cole Knudsen and Andre Kelly led Alberta with six points each, while Overwater led Lethbridge with eight after one. In a highly competitive quarter, Alberta and Lethbridge combined to shoot nearly 50% from the field.
While Alberta was slightly better in the first, Lethbridge responded in the second. The Pronghorns improved their shooting clip by over 10%, outscoring the Bears 20-17. By comparison, the Bears offensive numbers cratered, as their field goal percentage fell from 52 to 26 in the second.
Overwater added another four in the second, while Brett Warren added five, as Lethbridge took a 41-40 lead into the half.
Lethbridge's had arguably their best defensive game of the season on Thursday, as they constantly limited the Bears looks from inside the paint. Perhaps their best individual shutdown was on Bears star Brody Clarke, who finished with just eight points on 4/10 shooting, and before fouling out late in the fourth.
Outscoring Alberta 24-19 in the third, thanks to another eight from Overwater, gave the visitors a 65-59 lead after 30 minutes.
The Pronghorns upped their intensity even more in the fourth, allowing just six made shots from the Bears. While not their best offensive quarter themselves, the Pronghorns had just enough of a cushion to hold on to the one-point win.
Game 2 of the best-of-three quarter-final series goes tomorrow night, with tip-off scheduled for 8:00 p.m. in Edmonton.