CALGARY- The Calgary Dinos “found a way to win ugly” against the Lethbridge Pronghorns Friday night, taking the victory by a score of 64-49. The Dinos and 'Horns both shot abysmally, with neither squad eclipsing 33% from the field.
While both teams struggled with their offense, it was the Dinos who were able to capitalize in other facets of the game; leading them to the sloppy victory.
Out-rebounding the Pronghorns 56-32, the Dinos used their size to their advantage throughout the game. Tyler Fidler led Calgary with ten rebounds, while three other Dinos recorded nine on the night.
Strong defensive intensity from the Lethbridge Pronghorns stymied the typically high-scoring Calgary offense, but was somewhat undisciplined as 27 team fouls were committed. On a night where two Pronghorns fouled out of the game, Calgary made good on 20 foul shot attempts.
Calgary Head Coach Dan Vanhooren seemed at a loss in explaining the Dinos' offensive struggles, but was relieved in leaving with the victory.
“It was an ugly basketball game. I thought we started with good energy, but couldn't find any for the last three quarters. I assume this comes down to our pre-game preparation; we will have to look at that,” said coach Vanhooren.
“Aside from that, we shot the ball really poorly, and turned it over far too often. But you know, we got at them on the boards, and we made more plays in the end. It's nice to get the victory, even though it may have been ugly.”
The Dinos received another solid performance from Robbie Sihota, who contributed 21 points and nine rebounds to the Calgary victory. Henry Bekkering was held to an uncharacteristic five points on the night, going 1-12 from the floor.
Despite solid team defense from Lethbridge, the 'Horns could not manage to find a break offensively all night. As a team, the Pronghorns shot only 27% from the field while struggling mightily from the three point line, making only two of their 24 attempts.
Sephton Spence was the high scorer for Lethbridge, potting 17 points along with five rebounds. Similar to Bekkering of the Dinos, the 'Horns did not receive a characteristic performance from their normally dominant guard, Danhue Lawrence. Going only 2 for 12 from the field, Lawrence only managed five points on the night for Lethbridge.
With the victory, the Dinos improve to 6-1 and distance themselves further from the Central Division pack. The Pronghorns, currently in second place in the Central, fall to 3-4 in defeat.
Both teams return to the Jack Simpson Gym in Calgary to do battle in the second game of the weekend set on Saturday evening.
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