Amber Doyle, Bison Sports
WINNIPEG - The No. 8 University of Calgary Dinos topped the University of Manitoba Bisons in women's basketball, 74-61. The Dinos ran away in the second half to grab the win at Investors Group Athletic Centre on Saturday.
It was a tight battle throughout the first half. The Bisons landed 37.5 per cent of their total shots, while the visitors had a 36.1 per cent shooting percentage. The Dinos led 37-30 heading into halftime.
Friday night's game was more lopsided as Calgary had a whopping 49-23 lead going into the break. They'd go on to win Friday's game 75-54.
"I made a point of trying to use everyone early in the game," said Bisons head coach Michele Sung.
The Dinos swung the momentum in their favour in the second half. They were especially dominant off the boards, grabbing 19 rebounds to Manitoba's seven in the third quarter. They also outscored the Bisons 20 to 11 in the third alone.
The Herd had a flash of brilliance to start the fourth quarter, but Calgary's commanding lead was too big to close.
"We had a couple runs," said Sung. "But, when we had those runs, we couldn't follow them up with stops."
The Dinos fourth-year forward Erin McIntosh, who's originally from Calgary, was the visitors' biggest offensive contributor. McIntosh made room in the key and found some rhythm from beyond the arc. She put up a total 24 points, six of which were from three-pointers. McIntosh also added seven rebounds.
Calgary's strongest rebounders were fourth-year centre Michaela Nieuwenhuizen and fourth-year guard Sascha Lichtenwald, each grabbing nine off the glass.
On the other end of the court, third-year guard Taylor Randall led the charge for the Bisons. Randall, standing at 5-7, aggressively drove to the basket to generate scoring opportunities. The Dundas, Ontario product added a total of 19 points for the Herd.
"Tonight, I just stayed patient and confident in what I was doing," said Randall.
Calgary's record improves to 7-3, winning their last five games. Meanwhile, the Bisons fall to .500 with a record of 5-5, losing their last five games.
"We can't seem right now to put together a 40-minute game," said Randall. "We have moments here and there of good then really ugly."
The Bisons have a bye week next weekend and don't play again until Friday, Jan. 4 as they head to Edmonton to take on the University of Alberta at 6 p.m. MST. The Dinos play again on Thursday, Nov. 29 as they travel to Lethbridge for a game at 6 p.m. MST.