CALGARY – The cardiac kids did it again; the University of Calgary Dinos defeated the Mount Royal Cougars 96-93 in overtime in an emotional regular-season finale inside the Jack Simpson Gym Saturday.

With the win, the Dinos finish the regular season with an 11-9 overall record, while Mount Royal slips to 8-12.

Showcasing resilience, grit, and determination the Dinos never relented despite trailing for much of the game. 

"We have fought through a lot of adversity…That has really shaped us down the stretch at the right time heading into playoffs." fifth-year senior Ezeoha Santiago said after the win.

Santiago was one of four Dinos seniors recognized pre-game during season night, alongside Mason Foreman, Jackson Bayles, and the posthumous Senior Night celebration of Andrew Milner. Head Coach Dan Vanhooren made the decision to honour all four Dinos together, a fitting moment for this close-knit unit.

"Last game in the Jack - it was a bit emotional to say the least," Santiago said.

Early in the contest, Cougar's big man Maiwen Maiwen stretched the Dinos defence and guard Ijah Nelson drove through the openings to build an eight point advantage. As the half came to a close, the Cougars brought about their own slow undoing with costly fouls piling up. 

Three starters, including Canada West leading scorer Holt Tomie, tallied at least three fouls in the opening 20 minutes, and the issues only got worse from there. Tomie fouled out midway through the fourth quarter and both Keivonte Watts and Mawien Mauwien were heavily restricted, playing with four fouls in the fourth.

While Mount Royal was forced to deal with adversity, the Dinos pounced, driving to the rim, crashing the offensive glass, and winning the 50/50 balls. Finding themselves in familiar territory, the Dinos looked poised as the temperature rose in the Jack Simpson in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.

Trailing 82-80 on the Dinos last possession, Jeffrey Tezo drew a foul and hit two of three free throws with two seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime. In the extra frame, the Dinos registered four second-chance points to maintain a slim advantage.

With the score 96-93 with ten seconds remaining in the overtime period, the Cougars got one final three-point attempt off to try and tie things back up, but Noah Wharton had other plans, registering his fourth block of the season to seal the Dinos victory and earn the sweep of the Crowchild Classic series.

Both teams will have just a few days to regroup before the start of the Canada West postseason this weekend.

-UC-