CALGARY – A chance to tie at the buzzer just rolled off the rim for the University of Calgary Dinos as the Saskatchewan Huskies escaped with a 79-77 win from the Jack Simpson Gym Saturday evening.

With the win, the seventh-ranked Huskies improve to 12-2 on the year and have now won 10 games in a row. Meanwhile, the Dinos have dropped back-to-back games for the first time all year and fall to 10-6.

Twenty-four hours after a lopsided win for Saskatchewan on Friday, Saturday's contest was a much closer affair.

The first half was back-and-forth the whole way, with neither team able to gain any separation. A three-pointer by Elina Siceva followed by a layup by Pollyanna Storie and Calgary looked like it would carry a one-point lead into halftime, only to see Carly Ahlstrom hit a jumper as time expired to put the Huskies up 40-39 at the break.

Saskatchewan got hot from behind the arc in the third, connecting on four triples in the frame while the Dinos outside shooting went cold. The Huskies built a double-digit lead early in the fourth and maintained that for a 76-64 advantage with 5:21 to play.

From there, the Dinos scratched and clawed their way back into the game. A pair of free throws from Storie cut the edge to 10 before a bucket by Louise Rouse drew the Dinos within single digits.

Calgary's defence picked up its intensity, getting a number of key stops down the stretch as a driving layup by Myriam Kone cut the gap to just four. Storie got her own rebound and put it back in to make it 76-74 with just 1:28 left to bring the crowd to its feet.

The Huskies were finally able to break the lid off the basket in converting a free throw to end a 10-0 Calgary run, only to see Rouse convert a three-point play the hard way to tie things up at 77-all with just 54 seconds left in regulation.

On the ensuing possession, Ahlstrom showed why she's one of the best in the country, calmly driving to the hoop for a lay in to put the visitors back up by two. 

After a missed shot, the Dinos defence again buckled down and got the stop they needed with six seconds left but the final shot attempt as time expired just rolled off the rim.

"We weren't happy with the way we played yesterday, and I am proud of the response," Dinos head coach Damian Jennings said. "Today, we had a go at it. It was a 10 or 12-point margin for a chunky bit of time. We squeezed that down the way that we did and managed moments and stayed present and made some plays both ways…the clock sometimes just ends up your way.
 
"We had a look at the end. We're not happy with the loss, but it was a much better performance tonight."

Ahlstrom led all players with 22 points Saturday to go with nine rebounds and three blocks. Maya Flindall poured in 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting, while Logan Reider (16) and Gage Grassick (14) each also finished in double figures.

For the Dinos, Rouse led the way with 19 points on the night to go with four assists and three boards. Annacy Palmer added another 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting – including 3-of-4 from behind the arc – to go with a career-high seven assists. Storie also filled out the stat sheet with 13 points, two rebounds and two blocks, while Amélie Collin played a big role and finished with seven points.

The Huskies return home to host Trinity Western next weekend, starting Friday at 6 p.m. from the Physical Activity Complex. Meanwhile, Calgary is on a bye next weekend before returning to the court Feb. 3-4 against the Regina Cougars in Saskatchewan.

-UC-