EDMONTON - The playoff hopes of the Calgary Dinos men's basketball team have all but been extinguished thanks to a 94-51 mauling at the hands of the Alberta Golden Bears Friday night at the Main Gym.

BOX SCORE

Calgary did get some help on the out-of-town scoreboard with a Lethbridge win over Fraser Valley, but in all likelihood the Dinos will need to win at least one of their final three games to make it back to the playoffs. Those three games are far from easy - a two-game series against No. 3-ranked Saskatchewan follows Saturday night's Battle of Alberta finale.

Sophomore guard Jordan Baker, the 2010 Canada West rookie of the year, led all players on the floor in scoring with 23 points, while also racking up nine rebounds, four assists and one steal.  He is currently eighth in Canada West scoring with 17.5 points per game, and third in conference boards, where he is averaging 10 per contest.  Todd Bergen-Henengouwen, Baker's roommate, chipped in with 15 points, while fifth-year guard CG Morrison added 10.

The Dinos were led by fourth-year Tyler Fidler, as he banked 14 points and seven rebounds.  The loss drops Calgary to 8-13 on the season, but they remain in the post-season picture, albeit in the final position for now.  The top eight squads from Canada West advance on after the regular season, and Calgary is in eighth, but is only one win up on UFV.

With the win, the Golden Bears improve to 15-8, but continue to sit in fifth place.  Only the top four teams host playoffs, and Alberta trails Victoria (15-7) for that right.  The Vikes are on a bye this week, but if they drop their final two games to the conference leading Thunderbirds, an Alberta win on Saturday, would clinch fourth place for the Bears.

It was never much of a contest on Friday night between the provincial rivals, as Alberta led early and by a lot, a trend the Golden Bears are not used to against Calgary of late.

In their last 12 games against the Dinos, regular season and playoffs, going back to 2008, the Golden Bears are 3-9 against their provincial foes, including four losses in the post-season, and an 80-54 regular season defeat last year in Calgary.

But, with the Dinos turning over a significant chunk of their roster from last season, and the Golden Bears trending up, Friday night was in the bag early for Alberta head coach Greg Francis.

The Bears held leads of 17-2 and 27-9 in the opening quarter, before eventually cruising into halftime with a 48-22 advantage.

Calgary showed life in the third quarter, putting away 20 points in 10 minutes, but the damage was long done, and the comfortable lead allowed Alberta to play the bench, and showboat for the home crowd.

Matt Cardoza, a former track and field long-jump star for Alberta, set the Main Gym faithful into a frenzy with a massively commanding dunk in the third quarter.  The fourth-year guard from Edmonton is normally known for his strong adherence to defence as well as ball control, but he showed off his spring-like legs, taking a pass at the top of the key, powering past Calgary defenders, and attacking the rim with a forceful two-handed dunk over a Dino.

Baker would later add a dunk of his own, a one-handed jam in the fourth quarter, to cement the win for the Bears.

On Saturday night, the two teams will do it all over again, as Alberta continues to push for fourth place, and home playoff dates, while the Dinos look to solidify a playoff spot.  It will also be the final regular season games for Morrison, as well as guard Graeme Mitchell, and it will be the final ever regular season game in the Main Gym.
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