ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – The University of Calgary Dinos roared back over the final three quarters to make a game of it but in the end couldn't overcome a slow start in a 61-59 loss to the Fraser Valley Cascades Saturday night in Game 2 of their best-of-three Canada West first round series.

The series is tied 1-1 following the Dinos' Friday night win, with the rubber match set for 6 p.m. MT Sunday night, live on cgy.canadawest.tv.

Playing at UFV's Envision Athletic Centre, Kayli Sartori racked up a game-high 23 points, highlighted by a tough driving layup plus the foul with just under a minute left in regulation to expand a slender one-point advantage to four and allow the Cascades to extend the best-of-three set.

The Dinos had posted a decisive 67-48 victory in Friday's opener, but the Cascades turned in a tougher team-wide performance to even things up. Taylor Claggett was at her rugged best, scoring 11 points and grabbing nine rebounds, and Sara Simovic and Shayna Litman added seven points apiece. 

Erin McIntosh (21 points) and Michal Assaf (20 points) did the bulk of the scoring for the Dinos, while Brianna Ghali – a thorn in the Cascades' side on Friday with 20 points and 16 boards – was limited to five points. 

While the Dinos fared well on the boards, the Cascades took the turnover battle, giving the ball away just 10 times compared to Calgary's 18. 

The hosts were locked in defensively from the opening tip, building a 15-4 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Dinos mananged an 8-0 run early in the second, but the Cascades regained control and led 30-22 at halftime. 

UFV expanded the advantage to 18 points (43-25) on Litman's layup midway through the third quarter, but Assaf scored eight straight points as part of a 10-0 Dinos response, and the visitors were back to within 47-43 at the end of the third.

Calgary leveled the score on two occasions in the last five minutes of regulation, but Litman knocked down clutch shots on back-to-back possessions and Sartori followed with a pair of driving layups (and an and-one free throw) to give the Cascades some breathing room.

Simovic went 3-for-4 from the foul line in the dying seconds before Assaf hit a buzzer-beating three to provide the final margin.

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