CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos made the most of their home opener, taking the lead in the first minute and never relinquishing it en route to a 97-60 win over the Brandon Bobcats Friday night at the Jack Simpson Gym.
BOX SCORE
Five different Dinos players scored at least a dozen points as the team shot an impressive 49.3 per cent from the field on the night. Calgary jumped out to a 21-point lead after an impressive 31-point first quarter and did not let up, extending the lead to 54-22 at halftime.
“I think our depth and the contributions that we're getting from our rookies off the bench have been difference-makers so far,” said Dinos head coach Shawnee Harle. “I was also pleased tonight that our team defence is continuing to get better. The further the season goes, the more you're going to have to win with your defence.”
Leading the way for Calgary was freshman post Esther Graff out of Spruce Grove, Alta. In just 17 minutes on the floor, Graff shot 9-for-15 from the field for a total of 19 points, adding four rebounds and three assists in the best performance of her young CIS career.
“The thing about Esther is that she's deceptive,” said Harle. “She's just really competitive. She scraps for everything, she's undersized and under-weighted pretty much against everybody that she guards, but she's learning to use that to her advantage, and she's a very smart player.”
With a significant lead at the half, Calgary had the luxury of playing the bench and Harle did so liberally, with no player on the floor for more than 26 minutes. All five rookies on the roster got significant minutes, led by rookie Megan Schaufele with 22. Alex Cole, a rookie out of Calgary, had the lone double-double on the night, registering 12 points to go with 11 rebounds.
“Our rookies are further ahead at this point in the season than I thought that they would be,” Harle said. “We have a lot of chipping in that I didn't expect this early.”
The Bobcats had a tough night offensively, managing just 29 per cent shooting on the night. Melanie Thompson led the way with 14 points for Brandon, which falls to 1-2 on the season, while Nicisha Johnson poured in 10. Jayla Bousquet lad all players on the night, cleaning the glass with 12 rebounds.
Along with Graff's 19 points, third year forward Ashley Hill added 20 while Megan Lang and Whitney Haswell scored 13 apiece.
The Dinos, now 4-1 on the year, entertain the Regina Cougars Saturday night to end their home-opening weekend, while the Bobcats make the trip south to face the Lethbridge Pronghorns Saturday night.
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