CALGARY – After spotting the Alberta Golden Bears a four-point head start, the Calgary Dinos men's basketball team turned things on and never looked back, cruising to a 82-62 victory at the Jack Simpson Gym. In their most complete effort on home soil this season, the Dinos dominated from start to finish.

The win is the third in a row for the Dinos, who move above .500 for the first time this season at 5-4. Meanwhile, the Bears win streak is snapped at three as they fall to 4-3 on the year.

Javier Ramos-Yzquierdo was assertive from the jump, playing physical defence and scoring six of the first nine Calgary points. His early play was a sign of things to come, as the third-year forward ended the evening with 22 points on 8-11 shooting, while holding Adam Paige of the Golden Bears to 0-6 shooting from the field. 

Both squads attacked the paint early, shooting over 45 percent from the field in the opening frame. The interior penetration led to open kick-out threes, where the Dinos capitalized and the Golden Bears struggled. Calgary built a 15-point advantage in the second quarter on the back of a 40 percent shooting from distance. The Golden Bears connected on just five three pointers on the night - a season low.

Unable to keep pace from long range, the Golden Bears turned to second-year spark plug Isaac Simon. The guard scored 15 points in 15 minutes to stem the tide heading into halftime. 

The third quarter showcased the teeth of the Dinos defence, even when the Calgary offence stagnated the lead remained near double digits. Alberta cut their deficit to six points midway through the 3rd quarter, but that was as close as they would get. Calgary closed the quarter on a 20-3 run and never looked back.

"We executed, and we're playing as a team," Alan Spoonhunter said postgame. "Our communication is a lot better and we're working a lot harder and we're having fun."

Spoonhunter finished the game with 18 points on 70 percent shooting for a Calgary team that was able to run 12 players deep because of the lopsided score in the fourth quarter.

The two teams are right back at it Saturday evening, with tip time set for 6 p.m. from inside the Jack Simpson Gym. Catch the action on CanadaWestTV. 

-UC-