CALGARY – A balanced attack roared Saturday as the Calgary Dinos men's basketball team defeated the Alberta Golden Bears 89-81 to earn the sweep of the Battle of Alberta. 

Following the same script as Friday night, the Golden Bears jumped out to an early lead, this time on the back of strong shooting from Brandon Meiklejohn. The guard notched seven points early, but it was Calgary who built a three-point advantage after 10 minutes courtesy of a balanced effort from the Dinos starters. 

The game remained close through the second quarter, with Alberta generating seven second-chance points in the frame. Similar to Friday, the second quarter also served as a springboard for Isaac Simon, as he poured in 10 of his game high 33 points in the frame.

Despite the strong play of Simon, Calgary maintained a slim lead for the majority of the first 30 minutes. Javier Ramos-Yzquierdo spurred the teams transition attack, as Calgary finished with 21 points off turnovers. The Dinos ball movement and selfless play led to assists on an impressive 65 percent (22-34) of their made field goals on the night.

"Anytime we get the ball moving, three or four passes, it's easy for us to score," Calgary guard Noah Wharton said. "If we can keep doing that and keep being selfless, then the sky is the limit for us." 

After being limited by foul trouble in the opening three quarters, Wharton came to life in the final ten minutes. The skilled two-way play of the fourth-year guard helped slow the play of Simon, while on the offensive side Wharton registered 11 points in the quarter. Wharton was one of five Dinos to score double figures, joining Nate Petrone (19), Javier Ramos-Yzquierdo (14), Dylan Lutes (14), and Spencer Roberts (10). 

The sweep sees the Dinos win streak grow to four and improve to 6-4 on the year entering the winter break. Meanwhile, Alberta heads into the holiday season at 4-4. Both teams will compete against crosstown rivals to open the 2024 portion of the season, as the Bears host MacEwan while the Dinos visit Mount Royal Jan. 5-6. You can catch the action on CanadaWestTV. 

-UC-