CALGARY – For a game that was delayed six weeks, it was certainly worth the wait. The first installment of the Crowchild Classic did not disappoint as the University of Calgary Dinos defeated the Mount Royal Cougars 89-66 Friday night in the Jack Simpson Gym.

After a slow start, giving up 28 points in the opening stanza, the Dinos battled back to within two at the half and dominated the final 20 minutes pick up the victory.

In spite of the limited capacity crowd in attendance, the reactions were thunderous to dunks, threes, and everything in between from the crosstown rivals. 

Second-year MRU guard Nate Petrone opened up the festivities shooting 4-6 from the field in the opening 10 minutes to give the Cougars a 28-24 lead. Fellow Cougar and go-go-gadget arm extraordinaire Patrick Vandervelden carried the momentum into the second quarter – punctuating the action with an alley-oop, a block, and a three pointer. 

The court began tilting in favour of the Dinos in the second quarter. A steal-turned-dunk by freshman forward Manyang Tong tied the game with less than a minute remaining in the half and set the tone for the final 20 minutes. 

The Dinos opened the third on a 17-1 run, sinking their defensive teeth into the Cougars attack. Shooting worse from the field with each passing quarter, the Cougars could only mount seven points in the fourth on 2-of-17 shooting. 

First year guard Aidan Smith tied Noah Wharton's 20-point game-high for the Dinos. The hometown Smith was electric from distance, pouring in six triples. Smith and his young Dinos teammates were spurred on by the added responsibility faced due to health and safety protocols, with an undermanned unit suited up for the contest. This included first-year lead assistant Kyle Landry, manning the bench for the Dinos in place of Head Coach Dan Vanhooren. 

"[We're in] unique positions with lots of guys having to step up, and we were all riding to get Coach his first victory," Smith said postgame, after the Dinos swarmed Landry in celebration. 

The 4-3 Dinos will attempt to gain sole possession of second place in the central division tomorrow night by earning the sweep of the 4-3 Cougars. 

The Crowchild Classic continues Saturday night at 7 p.m. MT on CanadaWest.tv presented by Co-op. 

-UC-