CALGARY – Few moments in mid-November can rival a championship clinching celebration, but Calgary put forth a worthy alternative Friday night. Dylan Kalambay – the 6-foot-9 redshirt centre, who has missed his first two seasons on campus while coming back from open-heart surgery – made his momentous debut as the third-ranked Dinos defeated the MacEwan Griffins 96-56 Friday night from the Jack Simpson Gym.

The Dinos scored the first 17 points of the game in this one and never looked back, holding a 50-30 edge at the half before blowing the doors off down the stretch, with 11 different players scoring in this one for Calgary.

Kalambay's first minutes brought the Dinos faithful to their feet; the centre ended the evening with five rebounds, two blocks, and one point in eight minutes of play. 

"Stepping out there was surreal – it felt like it would never come," said Kalambay postgame. "Being able to go out there and compete with the guys has been a blessing, and I've never been happier." 

Kalambay's journey has included open-heart surgery, a heart transplant, and untold minutes of recovery, rehabilitation, and resilience. While his teammates cheered him on at every stoppage Friday, the group standing behind him extends well beyond the bench, to his friends, family, and medical team that have supported him the past four years. 

"Everyone at U of C has been so supportive, the medical team has been amazing and with me every step of the way," said Kalambay. 

Back to the action Friday, Calgary's dynamic backcourt continued its torrid start to the campaign. Nate Petrone and Noah Wharton combined for 38 points on 20 field goal attempts to go with 12 assists. The hyper-efficient Calgary offence shot 69 percent from the field in the first half, while limiting the Griffins to just 26 percent shooting.

MacEwan's top performance of the night came at the hands of Milan Jaksic. The forward paced the Griffins with 24 points on 10-17 shooting. However, foul trouble derailed his evening, as he picked up his fourth foul two minutes into the third quarter and was forced to sit for the bulk of the second half.

In his absence the lead ballooned to forty, and for the second time in three home games Calgary's bench unit played the entire fourth quarter.

Saturday's rematch is set for 6 p.m. again from inside the Jack Simpson Gym. You can catch the action live on Canada West TV, presented by BioSteel.

-UC-