CALGARY – The No. 8 University of Calgary Dinos opened the New Year with a 79-56 win over the Mount Royal Cougars Thursday night at Kenyon Court, extending their win streak to eight games.

Their offence came from up and down the Dinos' roster. Five players scored in double-digits, including Erin McIntosh who finished the game with a team-high 16 points. Bobbi Jo Colburn chipped in 11 points while making an impact on the glass, grabbing nine rebounds. The Dinos' active defence came away with 23 steals in the game. Reyna Crawford led the team with five steals, making life tough on her matchup all game long.

The Cougars were led by Maria Blanco. She scored a game-high 17 points and relentlessly attacked the rim throughout the game. Maddison Hooper was also big for MRU. She finished with a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

The Dinos came out in the first quarter and found a way to get good looks through their half-court offense. They built an early double-digit lead by turning stops on the defensive end into points the other way. After the first quarter, Calgary led by 15 as they were able to keep the MRU offense from knocking down their looks.

The Cougars offense came to life in the second quarter. Both teams' offenses were clicking all quarter long. Each score seemed to be answered by a basket on the other end. After a tough shooting first quarter, MRU turned it up for the second. They made 47% of their shots and won the quarter, outscoring the Dinos by one.

At halftime the Dinos led 45-31. Colburn and McIntosh led the way in the first 20 minutes with nine points apiece, while each grabbed three rebounds. The Calgary defence forced 12 turnovers in the first half, coming away with eight steals.

The Cougars' early attack was led by Blanco and the outside shooting of Alesha Stanley. MRU also found success in the first half on the offensive glass. They grabbed eight in the half, helping them extend their possessions.

The up-tempo pace of the second quarter went away for the third. Both teams came out of the halftime break with an emphasis on locking down on the defensive end. In a much lower scoring quarter, the Dinos were able to hold off the Cougars' attempt to lessen their deficit heading into the final 10 minutes.

MRU came into the fourth quarter as the aggressors. They forced four turnovers in the first five minutes of the quarter and found a way to get out in transition and find some easier baskets. 15 was big for the Cougars on both ends in the second half. She scored nine points and came away with 3 Steals in the final quarter.

Once the final buzzer sounded the Dinos held off the Cougars after their early run and come away with their eighth straight victory.

The home-and-home series wraps up Saturday night in the Jack Simpson Gym as the Dinos host the Cougars and look to extend the streak to nine. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. MT, live on CanadaWest.tv.

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