CALGARY – A 23-point, 12-rebound double-double from Louise Rouse propelled the Calgary Dinos women's basketball team to a 73-57 win over the MacEwan Griffins Friday night at the Jack Simpson Gymnasium. 

It was a back-and-forth affair for the first three quarters before the Dinos (4-1) really found their groove in the fourth. Leading 43-40 heading into the final quarter, the Dinos ramped up the intensity, outscoring the Griffins 30-17 in the final frame to secure the victory and remain a perfect 3-0 at home. 

MacEwan (1-4) scored to open the fourth and pull within one, but that was as close as the Griffins would come as the Dinos countered with an 11-2 run, finished off by a highlight-reel between-the-legs pass from Mackenzie Trpcic to Pollyanna Storie for three. 

Dinos head coach Damien Jennings thought his team's offensive success in the fourth stemmed from their effort on the opposite side of the ball. 

"We were able to generate some stops that gave us some more transition looks, which is really where we should be at more consistently," explained Jennings. "So hopefully we can do some more of that tomorrow and let the defence build the offence instead of turning it into a half-court game." 
   
Calgary never trailed in the game and controlled the paint right from the opening tip. The Dinos outrebounded the Griffins 49-33 over four quarters, thanks in large part to Rouse and Mya Proctor's efforts down low.

Jennings felt that Proctor's defence was key in stopping the push the Griffins made in the third quarter. 

"I was particularly pleased with how Mya defended in that second half," said Jennings. "As MacEwan came back, she was able to flip it and defensively gave us the interior presence that we needed." 

MacEwan did make quite the push in the third quarter thanks in large part to the play of Mackenzie Farmer. Farmer was able to put the constant pressure on Dinos' defenders, finishing through contact on multiple occasions to keep her team close heading into the fourth. 

Trpcic orchestrated the Dinos' offence beautifully all night, finishing with a season-high 12 assists to go with just one turnover. Proctor added 17 points to go along with Rouse's 21. 

The Griffins were led by Farmer, who finished with a team-high 19, while Noelle Kilbreath chipped in 18 of her own. 

Round two between these two squads tips off at 4 p.m. tomorrow from the Jack Simpson Gym. 

-UC-