CALGARY – There was no crazy finish to this one – the Calgary Dinos earned a weekend split with the Lethbridge Pronghorns, dispatching their rivals back to Southern Alberta with a 99-70 whitewashing Saturday night in the Jack Simpson Gym.

BOX SCORE

One night after falling 80-79 to the Horns on a last-second three pointer after coming back from a 20-point halftime deficit, Calgary came out ready to play from the opening tip this time. Led by Tyler Fidler, who had an impressive first half shooting the ball, the Dinos got out to an early lead and went wire-to-wire for their second win of the year.

Calgary improves to 2-2 on the season, while Lethbridge falls to 1-3.

“The team was playing pretty well, and I think Lethbridge struggled with our trapping a little in the full-court press,” said Calgary coach Dan Vanhooren. “That slowed them up a bit, and then offensively we shot the ball well and played with more energy. As long as we don't have to keep re-learning that lesson and can continue to apply it to the next game, we'll keep getting better.

“We got a lot of good stuff from guys off the bench tonight too, which will be important for us going forward.”

Freshman Philip Labongo was one of those bench players who contributed, scoring 13 points and hauling down seven rebounds in just 22 minutes' work. Andrew McGuinness led all players with 22 points, while Fidler wrapped up his first double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds.

The Horns got in serious foul trouble early, forcing many of their key weapons to the sidelines. While Derek Waldner was the only player to foul out – and did so without scoring a point – four other Lethbridge players finished the game with four fouls. Of the five Horns starters, just two spent more than 20 minutes on the floor.

Randy Davis, the hero Friday night, led the way for Lethbridge with his 16-point effort. Quinn Van Gaalen added 13 off the bench, while Danhue Lawrence and Julian Spear Chief-Morris added an even dozen each.

Calgary, meanwhile, had five players in double digits. In addition to McGuinness, Fidler, and Labongo, Andy Rochon scored 13 on 3-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc, while Keenan Milburn added 11.

The Dinos wrapped up with game with a 25-12 advantage in the fourth quarter – and much of that time was spent with four pure freshmen on the floor for Calgary.

“Those guys are out there battling, and I thought Brad Clark played tough out there in the last couple minutes,” said Vanhooren. “Getting them that experience will be key for us in the future.”

Both teams are headed east for their next action. The Horns will stay on the road to visit Regina next weekend while Calgary will head to Winnipeg, where they will face the Wesmen.

The Dinos return home Nov. 19-20 to face the Brandon Bobcats.

-UC-