CALGARY – On the night they were recognized after playing the final home game of their varsity careers, Courtney Coyle and Whitney Haswell each had among their best performances of the season as the ninth-ranked Calgary Dinos rebounded for an 85-63 victory over the Trinity Western University Spartans Saturday night.
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Coyle put down 23 points while Haswell had a double-double with 16 points and 12 boards as Calgary turned a tight game at halftime into a rout in the third quarter, outscoring the Spartans 22-9 en route to the 22-point victory.
“On Seniors' Night it's very satisfying when your seniors come out and play as well as Courtney and Whitney did,” said Calgary head coach Shawnee Harle. “Whitney was very active and involved tonight, and Courtney just shot the ball great, and that's what we need from our two fifth-year kids.”
While the spotlight shone brightly on the seniors on this night, it was third-year forward Ashley Hill that took over the game in the third quarter. After the Dinos took a 35-31 lead into the half, Hill and the Dinos went on a quick 5-0 mini-run to open the third quarter, extending their lead. Hill went on to post 13 of Calgary's 22 points in the third, including a trio of treys. She finished the night with 27 points to lead all players.
Both teams put on an offensive show in the fourth quarter, combining for 51 points in the final 10 minutes, but the Spartans never threatened Calgary's lead.
Trinity Western was led offensively by Laura Craig, who put up 18 points before leaving midway through the third quarter with a leg injury. Katie Haworth added nine for the Spartans, while Corina Reimer, Jordan Verhoeff, and Lauren Dubroff had eight points each.
The win clinched a playoff spot for the Dinos, who now sit at 8-10, thanks to a Lethbridge loss against Simon Fraser. The Spartans fall to 11-8 on the season with a one-game lead over UBC for third place in the Pacific Division.
Getting back in the win column was vitally important to Harle and the Dinos, who had lost eight of their last nine conference games heading into this one.
“Wins are always important, no matter when they come, because if you're winning it means you're playing good basketball,” said Harle. “I don't feel like we've played good basketball for over a month until tonight, and I thought defensively we finally put a good game together. This team still hasn't played its best basketball, and the playoffs are a brand new season, so we'll see how far we can go.”
Both teams head west for their next contests as the playoffs draw near. The Spartans play a home-and-home set with top-ranked Simon Fraser next weekend, while the Dinos make the trip to play Victoria and UBC before ending the regular season in Edmonton against the Alberta Pandas.
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