BOX SCORE CALGARY – The Calgary Dinos extended their season-opening win streak to three games Thursday night with a 65-61 win over the Alberta Pandas in the Jack Simpson Gym.

Led by a 16-point performance off the bench by Ashley Hirons and a double-double from Jessica Franz, the Dinos came back from a three-point deficit at halftime to grab their third win of the season in a defensive struggle with their provincial rivals.

“It was a game of two halves, and in the first we came away from our game plan and tempo,” said Dinos head coach Damian Jennings. “We don't have great size, and physicality inside isn't our greatest strength, so we need to rely on our speed and our quickness and how we use space. In the second half we committed to that more.

“I think 40-minute games are going to do us well. If it was a 36-minute game I'm not sure if we would have won, and I'm sure that tomorrow Alberta will come out ready to dig some trenches. Tomorrow we need to be more consistent and stick to the game plan, rather than allow the other team to chip away with their advantages.”

The game was a sloppy contest with 54 turnovers committed against just 47 made field goals, with the Pandas committing the bulk of the errors with 32 on the night. Despite 17 turnovers in the first half, however, Alberta took a 34-31 lead into the break thanks to a solid performance by Anneka Bakker, who picked up eight points in the opening half.

By the end of the third quarter, the Dinos had whittled that lead down to one and took it for good early in the fourth, managing to hold the Pandas at bay for the four-point win.

Bakker scored just three in the second half for Alberta to finish with 11, while Saskia Van Ginhoven picked up eight of her team-high 12 in the second half for the Pandas, despite playing just 20 minutes off the bench. Bakker picked up a team-high eight rebounds on a night where the Pandas did edge the Dinos on the glass, 41-37.

Hirons had a solid 24-minute outing for Calgary, shooting 6-11 from the field to finish with her 16. Tamara Jarrett had 13, 10 of which came in the second half, while Franz (12) and Kristie Sheils (10) also found double-digits for the Dinos. Franz added 11 rebounds to her dozen points to pick up her first double-double of the season.

The Pandas did outshoot the Dinos 42 percent against 34, but Calgary had 10 additional shots thanks to Alberta's turnovers. Calgary also went to the line more often as well, with 14 made free throws against just 10 for Alberta.

The Dinos and Pandas renew acquaintances in the rematch Friday night, with tip-off at 6 p.m. in the Jack Simpson Gym. The game will be streamed live at cgy.CanadaWest.tv.

-UC-