CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos will finish their season opening home stand this weekend as they host the rival University of Alberta at the Jack Simpson Gym on Nov. 8-9.

The men's game will open the weekend set on Thursday with tip off at 6 p.m. followed by the women at 8 p.m. Friday night action will see the women play first at 6 p.m., with the men going at 8 p.m. All four games will be broadcast live on CanadaWest.tv.

The Damian Jennings era in Calgary couldn't have gotten off to a better start last weekend as the Dinos pulled off two season-opening victories against the Manitoba Bisons. Named the eighth coach in Dinos women's basketball history in July 2012, Jennings came to Calgary after leading the Cardiff Metropolitan University women's basketball program since 2005. Jennings managed to get the best out of his new club which is coming off a fourth-place finish as hosts of the CIS Final 8 last season. On Friday night the Dinos picked up a 73-54 win over the Bisons and followed that up with a 97-66 triumph in the rematch.

Jessica Franz was the top scorer in both Manitoba games last weekend. The fifth-year forward posted 16 points in Game 1 along with seven rebounds. Franz was even better in the Saturday contest as she recorded 26 points and another seven rebounds. Fourth-year guard and Calgary product Tamara Jarrett also had a strong weekend with 10 and 11 points in two games.

The Pandas roll into Calgary after two wins of their own last weekend. Alberta began the 2012-13 hoops season against the Brandon Bobcats and was dominate in both victories by the scores of 79-33 and 66-32. While their offence was impressive, their ability to limit the Brandon attack was spectacular. Of the eight quarters played by the Pandas, they were able to hold the Bobcats to under 10 points in five of them.

With a clear youth movement in place for the Dinos men's basketball team, the squad split their first two games of the year against the Bisons. With just two players with more than three-years of eligibility under their belt, a young Calgary team showed some spunk on opening night at the Jack with 87-78 victory over Manitoba. Playing against his hometown university, Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson started the year with a bang as he posted 33 points. The next night, the Bisons grabbed a fourth quarter lead on route to their first win of the campaign 76-68.

The men's team will take lots of positives out of their Manitoba set after a tough season in 2011-12 which saw a promising team be ravished by injuries. With a strong first two games, Ogungbemi-Jackson will have the opportunity to take an even larger leadership role on a Dinos team which is missing many of its veterans from a year ago.

The Golden Bears are 2-0 after wins against the Bobcats last weekend. Both contests were hard fought as Brandon kept the game close versus a very potent Alberta attack. Ranked No. 10 in the country, the Golden Bears are led by fourth-year guard Jordan Baker along with Kenny Otieno, who returns to the Alberta court after a year away.

The Dinos basketball teams will travel east next weekend to battle the Saskatchewan Huskies on Nov. 16-17. The squads will be back in action in the Jack Simpson Gym the weekend of Nov. 22-24. It opens with the first-ever basketball meetings in the Crowchild Classic between the Dinos and the Mount Royal Cougars, with men's action Thursday, Nov. 22 followed one night later by the women on Friday, Nov. 23. Both those games tip off at 7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 24, the Dinos host the other new team in Canada West this season, the UNBC Timberwolves, with the women at 6 p.m. and the men at 8 p.m.

-UC-