CALGARY – A 31-point third quarter broke open a tight game Saturday night as the University of Montana Grizzlies opened the 2008 Battle of the Border tournament with an 82-72 decision over the host Calgary Dinos in the Jack Simpson Gym.
With the score 56-52 Calgary and just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter, a three-pointer by Montana's Jordan Hasquet sparked the Grizzlies to a 13-0 run. Two Ross Bekkering free throws at the end of the quarter ended that, but the visitors took a 65-58 lead into the final 10 minutes and extended that to a 10-point victory.
Calgary struggled to rebound against a big Montana team all night, finishing with just 24 boards to the Grizzlies' 43. And on the Montana end of the floor, the Dinos were able to grab just 18 defensive rebounds to the Grizzlies' 17 offensive boards.
“The result tonight was on the glass, nothing else,” said ninth-year Dinos head coach Dan Vanhooren. “We got the heck rebounded out of us.”
Poor second half shooting also plagued the Dinos, who went 9-of-25 from the field in the final 20 minutes while Montana shot 18-for-33.
Calgary's Henry Bekkering, playing the first game of his final season, led all players with 31 points on the night, followed by sophomore guard Tyler Fidler with 24. Behind those two, however, the scoring dried up considerably for the Dinos, with just three other players hitting the scoresheet – Robbie Sihota (9), Ross Bekkering (4), and freshman Dominyc Coward (4).
A free throw from Ross Bekkering early in the third was the first Calgary point from outside the Henry-Fidler-Sihota trio.
“I don't think we got the best game out of Ross, and there's more in the tank to be sure,” said Vanhooren. “We attacked pretty well and were pretty aggressive, we got good games out of Fidler and Henry, and that's definitely a good sign going forward.
“I was also satisfied with our point guard play, which is something that we're measuring this weekend to see who's going to step up. We have a good group of kids that we'll be able to utilize in different situations.”
The point guard position is very much up for grabs with the 2008-09 edition of the Dinos, following the surprise summer departure of starter Jeff Price. Tony Dhaliwal, Brennen Fule, Lindsay Thouret, and Jamie McLeod each took turns at the point Saturday.
While Calgary struggled with scoring depth, Montana received scoring from seven players, including six in double digits. Jack McGillis led the way with 19 points, followed by Hasquet's 15 and a baker's dozen from Brian Qvale. Ryan Staudacher (12), Michael Taylor (11), and Kyle Sharp (10) also hit double digits in scoring for the Griz.
Calgary takes Sunday off at the tournament, while Montana has a busy day with two games on the slate. The Griz face Lethbridge at noon, followed by a date with the SAIT Trojans at 7 p.m. as the 2008 Battle of the Border rolls on.
The Dinos and Grizzlies will cap the tournament Monday in the rubber match, with tip-off slated for noon in the Jack Simpson Gym.
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