CALGARY - The University of Calgary Dinos complete a strong home opening weekend with a 66-51 win over the Brandon Bobcats on Nov. 8 at the Jack Simpson Gymnasium.
The Dinos boost their season record to .500 while the Bobcats fall to 0-4.
Brandon forward Alyssa Montgomery had a game high in points with 19 and rebounds with 12 for the only double-double of the game, but what made the difference in this contest was the scoring depth for the Dinos.
Led by Kristie Shiels and Brianna Ghali with 11 points each, five different Dinos recorded at least eight points in the game. Kelsey Lundalso hit double digits in rebounds with a total of 10.
"I just feel that we all gradually got better today, I wouldn't say anyone particularly stood out and I think that's going to be the nature of our team in this season is that we don't need one person to stand out we're probably going to have 10 to 12 players able to contribute…" remarked Dinos head coach Damian Jennings.
Much like last night, Calgary got out to a quick start in the first quarter, taking an early 13-2 advantage after the first seven minutes which was led by a pair of three-pointers from Ashley Hirons.
Late in the quarter, a three point play from Bobcats forward Amy Williams sparked their offense and led them to score nine points in the last two minutes. Despite the late surge from Brandon, the Dinos took a 16-11 lead into the quarter break.
The Bobcats offensive push continued into the second quarter, forcing the Dinos to take a timeout two minutes in as they clung to an 18-17 edge over Brandon. The Dinos turned things around after that as they managed to contain the Brandon offense through the middle of the quarter.
With three minutes remaining, a big defensive steal from Ashley Hirons triggered a 9-0 run for Calgary, putting them up by a score of 33-24. The Dinos defence shut down the Bobcats for the rest of the quarter, giving them a 37-24 lead after the first half.
Both teams were struggled to maintain any offense early in the third, each recording only five points in the first five minutes. The pace picked up towards the end of the quarter with Calgary scoring consecutive baskets to extend their lead to 49-34, but Brandon picked up four points in the final seconds to end the third with the Dinos ahead by a score of 50-38.
The Dinos continued to shut down the Bobcats offense, allowing them only four points in the first five minutes. Two strong back-to-back layups from Kristie Shiels and Jessica Thielen put Calgary up 61-45 late in the quarter. Despite a very strong fourth quarter from Brandon's powerhouse Alyssa Montgomery, the Dinos sound defence was key factor in completing the sweep with a 66-51 victory.
The Dinos will travel to Regina to battle the Cougars next weekend, Nov. 14-15.