EDMONTON – There is an old adage in sport that it's not about how you start, but how you finish. The University of Alberta Pandas basketball proved that to be a truism on Thursday night at the Saville Community Sports Centre as they erased a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat the Calgary Dinos 67-54.
 
NEED to know:  Alberta outscored Calgary 25-2 in the fourth quarter
Game Star: Elle Hendershot (AB) – 16 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals
Game Star: Anmol Mattu (CGY) – 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals
Stat Line:  Pandas – FG: 23-64 (35.9%), 3PT: 4-22 (18.2%), FT: 17-21 (81%), 41 rebounds, 15 fouls, 9 assists, 12 turnovers, 3 blocks, 9 steals Dinos – FG: 21-62 (33.9%), 3PT: 4-16 (25.0%), FT: 8-11 (72.7%), 47 rebounds, 16 fouls, 5 assists, 25 turnovers, 1 blocks, 7 steals
 
The Pandas stretched their undefeated streak to 11 games with the win, improving to 11-0 in the Canada West standings, breaking a tie with the 10-0 Winnipeg Wesmen who were not in action on the opening night of the 2016-17 Canada West second half.
 
Calgary, meanwhile, falls to 6-3 on the season, but will get a shot at revenge on Saturday in the Jack Simpson Gym when they host the Pandas in the second half of the home-and-home series.
 
Thursday night's win, while improbable and impossible to see after three quarters, was more evidence of Pandas team that knows how to win at crucial moments. Despite the unbeaten start to the season, the Pandas have had to, at least on two other occasions, steal fourth quarter victories from the jaws of defeat, including a 72-68 win over Manitoba on the road and a 55-53 triumph over MacEwan in December.
 
Throughout three quarters of play the Calgary Dinos used up-tempo pressure and good ball movement to make Alberta look like it was standing still. Calgary scored nine points off turnovers alone, while also getting 14 points off the bench in the first half. They blitzed Alberta 23-13 in the first quarter, and led by as much as 15, before heading into half-time with a 36-31 advantage.
 
Although the Pandas improved in the second quarter, it did not carry over consistently into the third as the Dinos outscored the home side 16-11 to earn a 52-42 lead going into the final quarter.
 
But, as they've done in the past, Alberta drew on a reserve of confidence and energy in the final frame, utilizing a newfound sense of urgency on defence to lead the way to an efficient offence. The Pandas hustled Calgary into nine turnovers in the fourth quarter, and also picked up a pair of blocks, to limit the Dinos to just two points while the offence roared to life to pour 25 points in at the other end.
 
Alberta also drew fouls on nine plays in the fourth quarter, after getting to the line twice in the third quarter.
 
Calgary got a great game from Anmol Mattu, who paced the Dinos offence with 12 points, including a perfect 2-2 from three-point range. The Dinos came into the contest as the lowest ranked three-point shooting team in Canada West, but drained four of 16 on Alberta, including a red hot three of six in the first half. Mattu also finished with a seven rebounds, but it was Brianna Ghali who led the Dinos under the glass with nine.
 
Elle Hendershot managed a double-double for Alberta, scoring a team high 16 points while adding 11 boards. Fifth-year guard Maddie Rogers chipped in with 14 points while Aimee Wilson, a former Dino, banked 10 points in the win over her old club.
 
The two teams will clash again on Saturday night when they wrap up the home-and-home series in Calgary.