CALGARY – Needing a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive as the Canada West season winds down, the Calgary Dinos emerged with a 93-81 men's basketball victory Friday night over the Manitoba Bisons in the Jack Simpson Gym.

BOX SCORE

Despite seeing a 16-point halftime lead virtually evaporate in the third quarter, the Dinos came out with guns blazing in the fourth as they reestablished their double-digit margin and improved to 7-12 on the season. The Bisons, meanwhile, still hold a two-game lead over Calgary with a 9-10 record on the year.

Calgary comes out of the game with plenty to work on, despite a well-spread offence and dominance on the glass. The Dinos turned the ball over 28 times on the night and their shooting went cold – absolute zero even – in that third frame: the home side managed just one field goal in the 10-minute span, going 7:53 at the end of the quarter with only free throws.

“We finally started looking to score again in the fourth,” said Calgary head coach Dan Vanhooren. “We started watching their zone a lot on offence. And we can't turn the ball over 28 times. If we played consistently, with the basketball, then tonight's game really wouldn't have been a 12-point game. Whenever we get four or five guys in double digits we have a chance to win, but we just can't turn the ball over that much.”

The first quarter gave the Dinos exactly the start they had hoped for. A 7-0 run to open the game turned into a 33-19 whitewash in the first 10 minutes, and the Dinos expanded that lead to 52-36 at the half thanks to 50 percent shooting and a wide margin on the glass. After 20 minutes, Calgary held a 32-15 lead in the rebounds department, led once again by 10 from Tyler Fidler.

Rebounding gave Manitoba too many second chances in the third quarter, however, and the Bisons scored 10 points courtesy offensive rebounds in the frame. Richard Reimer led the way, hauling down seven boards in the third – five of the offensive variety.

“We gave up way too much offensive rebounding for them in the second half, especially when we killed them so badly in the first,” said Vanhooren. We did a good job rebounding the ball, but we need to do it all game long.”

Calgary ended the game with a 57-40 advantage on the glass.

The Dinos' scoring was well spread out, with five players reaching double digits. Fourth-year forward Dustin Reding led the way with a season-high 19 points, while freshman Matt Letkeman put up an efficient 18 on 7-for-8 shooting from the field. Fidler added 13, Trevor Debolt 12, and Andrew McGuinness 10 for Calgary.

Fidler cooled off in the second half after opening the night with 10 points and 11 rebounds. He finished with 17 boards, putting him just three assists away from a triple-double.

Josh Ogden spent plenty of time with the basketball for the Manitoba Bisons on the evening, leading them with a game-high 25 points despite hitting just seven of his 23 field goal attempts. Eric Garcia chipped in with 15, while Reimer (12), Sean Maxwell (11), and Kevin Oliver (10) were the other Bisons to hit double digits on the scoreboard. Reimer was also the team's leading rebounder, hauling down 14.

Not out of the woods yet, the Dinos will look for their first series sweep of the season when they entertain the Bisons once more Saturday night.

-UC-