EDMONTON – Tied with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Pandas outscored Calgary 10-4 down the stretch to earn a season-opening 67-61 win.
 
In an extremely physical and aggressive meeting between rivals, the Pandas and Dinos combined for eight lead changes and eight ties, but also combined for 60 turnovers in the early season matchup.
 
Morgan Harris led Alberta with 12 points, adding four assists and three rebounds. Harris also added a pair of clutch made free throws in the final minutes to clinch the Pandas win. Annacy Palmer added 11 points in her first game for Alberta, to go along with 11 from Kiah Easton-Ihediohanma.
 
Myriam Kone led the Dinos with a game-high 14 points, but struggled in the second half, finishing with five made shots on 17 attempts. Mya Proctor added 12 points but fouled out in the fourth quarter, as did Pollyanna Storie in the third.
 
The win gives the ninth-ranked Pandas a 1-0 start to their 2024-25 season, while the third ranked Dinos drop to 2-1.
 
Palmer scored eight of her 11 points in the opening quarter, taking over the game offensively for Alberta. Calgary made just six shots in the opening frame, struggling with the length of Alberta's defence. Claire Signatovich and Reece Hall had three blocks for Alberta, who led 18-12 after the first.
 
Leading by as many as eight in the second, the Dinos mounted a comeback off the shooting of Kone. Calgary outscored Alberta by 10 in the second, who finished the first half making 15 of their 16 free throw attempts to take a 40-36 lead into half.
 
Calgary was also dominant on the boards, with an offensive rebound advantage resulting in extra shots and extra makes. The Dinos led 49-40 midway through the third.
 
However, turnovers and fouls started to completely shutout Calgary's rhythm and offence, as they scored 13 points over the final 15 minutes on Friday night. Key shots from Easton-Ihediohanma and Harris, combined with a stingy defence, secured the win for Alberta.
 
The two rivals will meet again tomorrow night at 5:00 p.m. at Saville Community Sports Centre.

-UC-