CALGARY – Paced by a career performance by freshman Jordan Baker, the unranked University of Alberta Golden Bears shocked their archrivals Saturday night, taking an 82-80 decision over the fourth-ranked Calgary Dinos on their home floor, the Jack Simpson Gym.

BOX SCORE

When the dust had settled after an entertaining contest, Baker's stat line read 26 points and 11 rebounds as the Alberta youth movement triumphed over the experienced Calgary squad, improving to 6-8 on the season.

“It all starts with rebounding, and they had seven offensive boards to our zero to start the game,” said Dinos head coach Dan Vanhooren after his team dropped to 10-3 on the season. “That got us into a 10-point hole early, and it takes energy to get out of those holes.

“We fought back and did get out of it with a strong second quarter, but there wasn't a quarter in this game other than the second where we played strong defensively and that's the difference. When you put up a number like 80 points you shouldn't have any trouble beating teams, but when you give them 19 extra possessions off the offensive glass…”

A quick start by the Bears put them up by as many as 11 points late in the first quarter, but the Calgary comeback started with a 6-0 run in the final minute to head into the second down 23-18. Slowly the advantage was whittled away, and the first half ended up solving nothing as the teams took a 38-38 draw into the break.

Calgary took a slim three-point margin out of the third quarter after leading by as many as seven, setting up the pivotal fourth stanza. That lead lasted less than three minutes when a Khas Toker trey put the Bears up for good at 65-64, forcing the Dinos to play catch-up. Calgary did manage to get the lead down to just one on two occasions in the final five minutes, but one of those was a Hail Mary three by Jamie McLeod that made the game 81-80 with just 1.7 seconds to play.

The Golden Bears were full marks for the victory after losing by 26 in the series opener Friday night – reminiscent of their series with the Saskatchewan Huskies, where a resilient Alberta team took a tight win over a divisional opponent a night after being shellshocked.

Youth played a key role for both teams, with the hyphenated rookie duo of Alberta's Todd Bergen-Henengouwen and Calgary's Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson enjoying strong outings. Bergen-Henengouwen scored 15 points on the night, including three from beyond the arc at clutch times, in just 23 minutes on the floor. Tokar added 14 for the Bears, including that key trey to put them ahead to stay.

Ogungbemi-Jackson, meanwhile, played 37 minutes for the Dinos, scoring 10 points and adding five assists.

Again, it was the senior duo of Ross Bekkering and Robbie Sihota leading the way for the Dinos. Bekkering was impressive with 25 points and 12 rebounds, including 9-of-12 shooting from the line while adding four blocked shots, while the smooth-shooting Sihota had 21 points. McLeod's 13 and 10 from Ogungbemi-Jackson represented the other two Calgary players to score in double digits.

The Bears head out on the road next weekend for a Pacific Division swing trip through Fraser Valley and Thompson Rivers, while Calgary continues its six-game homestand when the Victoria Vikes come to town Friday night, followed by the eagerly-anticipated showdown with the undefeated, top-ranked UBC Thunderbirds on Saturday.

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