CALGARY – A suffocating defensive showing by the University of Calgary Dinos women's basketball team kept the UBC Thunderbirds off balance all evening as they earned a 64-35 win at the Jack Simpson Gym.
A tight game through the first 10 minutes, the Dinos opened a large lead in the second quarter and continued to add to it in the final half, all while making points difficult to come by for UBC at the other end of the court.
While Calgary kept getting better as the game went on, it was tough sledding for UBC – especially in the second half. After being held to just 27.2 per cent shooting in the first half, the latter half saw the Thunderbirds shoot 21.5 per cent and score only 13 points.
Fifth-year guard Brianna Ghali led the Dinos' balanced attack with 15 points, to go along with eight rebounds. Also of note for Calgary were Shannon Hatch, who had nine points and nine rebounds, as well as Erin McIntosh, who finished with eight points and seven rebounds.
Keylyn Filewich had a team-high 12 points for the Thunderbirds, while Marcie Schlick scooped up eight rebounds.
With the win in their home opener, the Dinos improve their record to 3-0, while the Thunderbirds drop their first game of the season and see their record slip to 2-1.
The first quarter saw an exchange of runs at both ends of the court. The Dinos began the game by scoring the first nine points to jump out to an early advantage, but UBC showed resiliency by closing the gap and eventually taking a one-point lead. The Dinos would find their offensive groove in the following quarter as they outscored the Thunderbirds 24-10 to take a big lead into the break.
UBC came out of the locker room looking like a new team as they scored three quick baskets, including a pair of three pointers from Jessica Hanson after being shutout from beyond arc in the first half. Despite that early surge though, the Thunderbirds were unable to put a dent in the Dinos' lead as Calgary matched their offensive output and more, winning the quarter 14-11.
The Dinos put the game on lockdown in the fourth quarter as they allowed UBC to score just once on a field goal by Filewich.
These two teams will meet again on Saturday night with a 5 p.m. tipoff at the Jack Simpson Gym. Catch all the action by watching online at Canada West TV.