CALGARY – The Saskatchewan Huskies gave them all they could handle, but in the end a 27-point performance by sophomore guard Tyler Fidler was the difference as the fifth-ranked Calgary Dinos got past their divisional rivals 77-71 Saturday night in the Jack Simpson Gym.
BOX SCORE
After an easy 76-50 win Friday night, the Dinos were prepared for a much better Huskies team Saturday, and a much better Huskies team they saw. Saskatchewan refused to give up all evening, coming back from deficit after deficit on a night where the margin was rarely larger than six points.
“We expected that one to be tough,” said Calgary coach Dan Vanhooren, who led his charges to their 12th victory of the season. “We knew that they would come out harder and play a little more physical, and quite frankly play better because they're a much better basketball team than they showed last night.”
Fidler took control in the second half, where he posted 18 of his 27 points on 7-of-10 shooting. He hit three treys in the half, two of which gave the Dinos back the lead, and he added three assists and a pair of steals in the final 20 minutes.
“Here's a second year guy with Robbie Sihota sitting on the bench for most of the game, he's figured out that with Henry Bekkering out of the lineup it's his turn,” Vanhooren said of Fidler, the reigning Canada West rookie of the year. “It was a great game for him, you could see his shot coming around, and that's big for our confidence level.”
Bekkering missed his fourth straight conference game but is expected back in the lineup next weekend when the Dinos visit the Lethbridge Pronghorns to end a streak of 10 straight games against divisional opponents.
Much as was the case Friday night, the Dinos took a first quarter lead and looked confident heading into the second up 23-17. A 10-0 run by the Huskies opened the second quarter, however, giving the visitors their first sustained lead of the weekend. Showron Glover, the leading scorer in the conference, provided fits for the Dinos defensively with his speed and creativity, and the Dinos didn't score until Ross Bekkering made a pair of free throws midway through the quarter to end the run.
The Huskies maintained their lead through most of the frame until Jamie McLeod hit a big three for the Dinos to put them in front 31-30, and Jordan Flagel put the Dinos up yet again at 34-33.
The third unfolded in a similar way, with Saskatchewan embarking on an early run to take the lead before the Dinos clawed back into it. The lead changed hands four times in the quarter, but Calgary survived to take a 58-52 lead into the final 10 minutes.
Saskatchewan tied the score yet again at 62-62 midway through the fourth quarter, but another trey from Fidler gave the Dinos the lead for good. Glover brought the Huskies within a single point at 7-271, but the Dinos scored the final five points to eke out the victory.
Without his star player in the lineup, Vanhooren was impressed with the contributions of other players who stepped up on the night.
“From our perspective, we got a lot out of our bench,” said Vanhooren. “Flagel played great, Brennen Fule played great, and that's what we need. Fule made a huge bucket down the stretch, got a steal when we needed one, and created a turnover late in the game. Those are big big plays for a youngster and I'm really proud of how he played.”
Glover finished the night with 20 points to lead the Huskies, playing the entire 40 minutes, while Troy Gottselig hit several clutch baskets to record 17 points. Ross Bekkering (13) and rookie Dominyc Coward (12) were the other two Dinos outside Fidler to hit double-digit scoring, with Bekkering returning to double-double territory with a game-high 11 boards.
The Calgary win keeps the Dinos four games up on the Alberta Golden Bears in the division standings, while the loss drops the Huskies to 6-8 as they battle with Alberta and Lethbridge for the final two playoff spots. Calgary and Lethbridge tip off in southern Alberta for a two-game series next weekend, while the Huskies head out on the road again to face Brandon and Regina.
-UC-
