CALGARY – For the second consecutive night, a second-half surge powered the University of Calgary Dinos men's basketball team past the Mount Royal University Cougars and to a 99-90 win on Saturday evening at the Jack Simpson Gym.

At the end of each of the first three quarters, teams were within two points of each other – that was until Calgary began the fourth quarter on an 18-3 run.

In the early going the Cougars responded to the hellacious Dinos defence by spreading the ball around, with three players scoring six or more in the opening quarter. The balanced attack allowed second-year guard Nate Petrone to stay fresh and close the gap in the fourth quarter, finishing with a game-high 31 points. 

Dinos guards Manyang Tong and Jeffrey Tezo were instrumental in generating points off turnovers in the opening half of action. In the fourth, they defended the point of attack to contain the Cougars backcourt. 

"Especially guys like Petrone and Holt, [our] guards have a bigger job of trying to contain those guys," Tong said post-game. 

While the Dinos defensive effort was invaluable in forcing timely stops and building the 18-3 run, it was their primary offensive weapons that iced the contest down the stretch.

Veteran forward Mason Foreman was limited only by foul trouble, piling up 19 points for the Dinos. Having to sit for three critical minutes mid-fourth quarter, Foreman had to watch and see if the Cougars would mount a response. Instead, Noah Wharton put them to bed.

The second-year Dinos standout scored a team-high 25 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and was surgical in the waning moments of the game to keep things out of reach. 

With the victory, the Dinos earn a sweep of the Cougars and move to 5-3 on the season, good for second place in Canada West Central Division. They visit the top-ranked team in the division next week when they travel to face the Alberta Golden Bears.

The Cougars will also be on the road and take on the Lethbridge Pronghorns next weekend, Jan. 21-22

All the action can be seen on Canada West TV, presented by Co-op.