Posted: Nov 28, 2015
CALGARY - For the third straight weekend, the University of Calgary Dinos men's basketball team lost their Friday night game, but once again bounced back for a Saturday win, this time with a 101-82 victory over the UBC Thunderbirds.
After falling the night before to the no. 10-ranked T-Birds 83-76 and getting badly out rebounded 50-33, the no. 8 Dinos responded by winning the glass 44-34.
Canada West leading scorer Thomas Cooper continued his torrid pace, with 35 points and seven rebounds for Calgary, while reigning CW Rookie of the Year Lars Schlueter had a huge shooting night with 29 points on 9-11 from the field, including 6-8 from three-point range.
"Coach always finds the right words to get us refocused and inspired to win the next game, I think we did a really good job today, bouncing back from yesterday's loss," Schlueter said.
The Ulm, Germany native also stepped up after eight points on 3-11 shooting the night before.
"I wasn't okay with my game yesterday and I really wanted to show what I can do and I think it paid off," he said.
Calgary played aggressive from the tip, winning the first quarter by one point like the night before.
Except this time, they took over in the second, outscoring the T-Birds 24-12 to take a 42-29 at halftime, and despite being undersized, won the rebounding margin 29-18 after two quarters.
UBC responded quickly in the third, with Conor Morgan scoring just nine seconds in to make it 42-31, but Josh-Owen Thomas answered with a layup shortly after.
David Wagner scored a layup at the 9:12 mark, but Schlueter would hit one of his six threes less than 20 seconds later.
Calgary native Jordan Jensen-Whyte picked up the scoring after Morgan had to sit with foul trouble, including a thunderous dunk and two free throws late in the third to make a six-point game at 62-56.
But the Dinos stayed aggressive, continuing to get to the free-throw line to keep their distance with the T-Birds and Schlueter would hit again from downtown to make it 72-60 going into the fourth.
UBC wouldn't get any closer than 10 points the rest of the game and Calgary cruised to the 19-point victory and hit the 100-point mark for the first time this season.
Along with winning the rebounding edge, the Dinos repeatedly got to the line, shooting 31-39 for the game, while holding UBC to 4-16 from three-point land.
A night after shooting just 4-20 from downtown, the Dinos shot 12-24 on Saturday.
Calgary now improves to 5-3, while handing UBC just its second loss of the season after the team won six straight.
Next week, the team will play their last game of 2015 against the Alberta Golden Bears.
"We have to play focused and as inspired as we did today," Schlueter said. "We need to grab all those rebounds like we did today and I think we will be good."
The game also saw three technical fouls called, one to Calgary head coach Dan Vanhooren in the first half, as well as UBC'S Morgan and A.J. Halloway in the second half.