CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos played their last home game of 2019 on Saturday night against the Trinity Western Spartans, with a 72-46 victory.

The Dinos (6-0) stay strong early in the season, while the Spartans (1-5) wrap up the weekend with another tough loss.

Early in the game, Calgary set off with a 11-0 run, including three-pointers from Sascha Lichtenwald, Bobbi Jo Colburn, and Courtney Donaldson. The Spartans' first successful field goal at the six-minute mark and late offensive push wasn't enough as the first quarter ended with Dinos leading 23-10. Both teams were evenly matched in the second quarter with 16 attempted field goals and eight attempted three pointers. The Spartans managed to outscore the Dinos 12-9, but Dinos finished the first half with a 33-22 lead.

"Yesterday, we were winning in a single-digit scenario against a team that never gave up and (today) we took responsibility for those errors," said head coach Damian Jennings. "That was the major positive from this game."

A late start by the Spartans and a 53.8 field goal percentage allowed the Dinos to widen the margin in the third quarter with a solid 48-33 lead. The Dinos started the final quarter strong with a 14-2 run and ended with 12 points off turnovers and a 55.6 field goal percentage.

Overall, the Dinos outshot the Spartans with 40-18 points in the paint, thanks to a strong surge in the last half. Liene Stalidzane led the Dinos with 15 points, while Sascha Lichtenwald led with nine rebounds. Rookie forward Azalya Foresbauer racked up five points in seven minutes of playing time. Spartans' leading scorer Nicole Fransson ended the night with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while first-year guard Lana Shypit earned three successful three-pointers.

"At the end of the day, you can only compare with your previous performance," commented Jennings. "We're still a group trying to adjust to the running the scale and the concentration. But ultimately, we didn't like how we played yesterday and tonight was a lot more focused, so may it continue."

"We're still a group trying to adjust to new players who play high minutes for us, and determine the identity we wish to play with at both ends of the floor," commented Jennings. "Ultimately, we didn't like how we played yesterday, and I'm pleased with their response [players] tonight."

Up next, Calgary will face the UBCO Heat for a two-game series starting on Friday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m., in the UBC Okanagan Gym. Trinity Western will match up against the MacEwan University Griffins on Friday, Nov. 29 at 6 p.m.

-UC-