CALGARY – The fifth-year tandem of Ross Bekkering and Robbie Sihota scored 21 points each as the fourth-ranked University of Calgary Dinos improved to 10-2 with an 80-54 victory over the rival Alberta Golden Bears Friday night in the Jack Simpson Gym.

BOX SCORE

All but one of the 12 players dressed for Calgary scored at least two points while the Calgary defence allowed a season-low 54 points as the Bears had all kinds of trouble with the size and strength of the Dinos down low, dropping to 5-8 on the season.

“We've been doing a better job on the glass, and our transition game was something we really wanted to work on and I think that improved during the game,” said 10-year Calgary head coach Dan Vanhooren. “We need to keep doing a better job of closing out and finishing the play. If we clean up our own glass so teams are one-and-done, we're tough to play against.”

Calgary picked up 30 defensive boards against just five offensive rebounds for the Bears. On offence, as has been their trademark, the Dinos continually pounded the ball inside and drew fouls, making 32 trips to the free throw line and coming away with 21 points. Again, it was the two fifth-year seniors leading the way, with Bekkering hitting 10 of 14 from the line while Sihota finished 7-for-8. Bekkering also added to his team-leading rebounding numbers with 13 while chipping in with three assists, four steals, and a pair of blocks.

His highlight was unquestionably a ridiculous put-back dunk off a shot by Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson, reaching high in traffic down low to put the ball away, bringing the crowd of 1,537 in the Jack Simpson Gym to its feet.

The young Golden Bears, making their first appearance in the Jack under new head coach Greg Francis, made just 10 trips to the free throw line and converted on just three of those opportunities. Alberta also committed 27 turnovers on the night.

The Dinos opened the game on an 11-0 run and really never looked back as Alberta was unable to close the gap to less than six points. The second half lead was never smaller than 13 and went as high as 29 in the late stages before settling in for the final 26-point advantage for the home side.

Freshman Jordan Baker was a bright spot for Alberta, matching Bekkering's 13-rebound performance with a Baker's dozen of his own while adding nine points. He was easily the Bears' leading rebounder, with Khas Tokar next on the list with four. Veteran Harvey Bradford was the Bears' top scorer with 12 points, while Scott Leigh also had nine.

Tyler Fidler had nine rebounds to equal his nine points for Calgary, with Jamie McLeod scoring seven. Late in the game with the score well in hand, Vanhooren was able to give significant playing time to the entire bench, with everyone seeing at least six minutes on the floor.

Judging by his history with the Golden Bears and their play so far on the season, the Calgary head coach was keenly aware that the Friday night score means nothing when tip-off rolls around in Saturday's re-match.

“Alberta has played teams tough at least once if not twice in a weekend this season,” said Vanhooren. “I expect a much tougher game tomorrow and that's what we'll be talking to the guys about. But we have the maturity and the experience, and I like to think that we're going to come out tomorrow and play as hard as we can.”

Tip-off goes at 8 p.m. MT, with a live video webcast at www.educationcdn.com/schools/dinos/.

-UC-