CALGARY – A step away from sending the game to overtime, the University of Calgary Dinos women's basketball team were dealt their second loss of the season by the MacEwan University Griffins.
 
The Dinos needed a three-point shot to extend the contest, but a shot at the buzzer by Amélie Collin fell through for two, giving MacEwan a 67-66 win over Calgary on Saturday night at the Jack Simpson Gym.
 
The setback comes despite an incredible second-half effort by the Dinos – who trailed by 21 at halftime – and took a one-point lead in the final two minutes of play.
 
"Clearly we had a very poor start, and it will require some soul searching for sure," stated Dinos head coach Damian Jennings. "Although the effort in response during the second half shouldn't go undervalued, we are of course bitterly disappointed losing this game in the manner at which we did."
 
MacEwan jumped out to a convincing lead in the opening quarter as they took a 22-9 advantage through 10 minutes. They took their shooting to the next level in the following quarter, firing 50 percent from the field to extend their lead to 21.
 
The Dinos flipped the script in the second half and began chipping away at their halftime deficit, fueled by Reyna Crawford, who went on a personal 8-0 run in the third quarter. The strong second half performance continued in the fourth, setting up a thrilling few minutes.
 
After the Dinos took a one-point lead on a Collin shot in the paint, the Griffins received a massive response from Noelle Kilbreath to restore a 66-64 MacEwan lead.
 
The Griffins had a chance to put it away with free throws, but struggled at the line late. That setup the final opportunity for the Dinos – which went in – but not from beyond the arc.
 
Collin was all over the court for Calgary, finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and four steals.
 
MacEwan's Mackenzie Farmer was the game's top scorer with 26 points.
 
The Griffins improve to 2-7 on the season, while the Dinos fall to 6-4 in Canada West.
 
The Dinos are back in action next weekend as they take on the Mount Royal Cougars, Feb. 4-5, while the Griffins get set for a busy week with three games, starting with a rescheduled Feb. 2 matchup with the Alberta Pandas.