BOX SCORE

CALGARY – The Calgary Dinos got big nights from four of their starters Friday as they defeated the Winnipeg Wesmen 99-86 in the Jack Simpson Gym, improving to 9-10 on the year and clinching a playoff spot in Canada West's Prairie Division.

Led by a sensational 30-point night by Tyler Fidler, the Dinos took the lead after 10 minutes and won a track meet to notch their fifth victory in a row after starting the season 4-10. Thanks to Saskatchewan's win over Manitoba and Alberta's annihilation of Brandon Friday night, the Dinos have clinched a berth in the playoffs and will face the No. 1 seed out of the Pacific Division in a best-of-three Canada West quarterfinal series in two weeks' time.

Calgary's starting five accounted for 92 of the Dinos' 99 points on the night, with Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson adding 24 points, Boris Bakovic 17, and Keenan Milburn 17. But it was Fidler who led the way, shooting 9-for-13 from the field and 11-12 from the line to score his 30 in just 29 minutes. Fidler hauled in a game-high seven rebounds as well.

“Holy Fidler,” said Calgary head coach Dan Vanhooren. “He's so much better when he has people around him hitting shots. We only shot 12 threes tonight, which is good – we knew where we were stronger and we went inside with the ball. I'm happy that we rebounded the ball so well in the second half, but our bench needs to contribute a little more.”

The ability to work the ball inside worked well for the Dinos, who shot 54.7 per cent on the night and scored 42 points in the paint. Calgary also ended up winning the rebounding battle by a 36-33 margin, but they had to out-glass the Wesmen 25-12 in the second half to make that happen.

After dominating on the glass in the first half and scoring 17 second-chance points as a result, the Wesmen were within three at halftime at 51-48. Calgary ran away with it in the third quarter, however, shooting 12-for-18 in the frame and outscoring Winnipeg 28-14 to build an insurmountable advantage.

Calgary's lead was as much as 20 with four minutes to go in the game, but Winnipeg poured it on late to bring it back to a more respectable 13 points at the final buzzer.

The Wesmen spread out their scoring more than did the Dinos, with five players ending up in single digits and two more with nine. Mark McNee and Eric Zimmerman led the way with 16 points each, with Benny Iko chipping in 13 to go with seven boards off the bench. Andrew Cunningham added a dozen and Dominique Brown 10, while Brayden Duff and Travis Krahn each poured in nine.

Outside the Big Four of Fidler, Ogungbemi-Jackson, Bakovic, and Milburn for the Dinos, Patrick Walker's one conventional three-point play was the most scoring of any Calgary player.

The Dinos will look to finish the season at the .500 mark and on a winning note when they host the Wesmen once more Saturday night. The game will celebrate Seniors' Night in the Jack, with Fidler, Bakovic, Milburn, and Dustin Reding honoured in a pre-game ceremony on centre court.

-UC-