CALGARY – A game-changing fourth quarter for the University of Calgary's Dinos men's basketball team would prove to be the winning factor in their weekend sweep against the University of Brandon Bobcats at the Jack Simpson Gymnasium.

Dinos guard Noah Wharton scored a career-high 31 points in the Saturday night rematch, allowing Calgary to take the win with a score of 100-87, extending their win streak to five games.

"We started out slow, we were down five at halftime.The second half we just locked in, played better defense and pulled it out," said Wharton

"I was just trying to be as aggressive as possible. My team needed me to score and I guess that's what I did today. I just do whatever it takes to help the team win."

One night after a lights-out shooting performance and a 42-point win for Calgary, it was quickly evident history wouldn't be repeating itself in this one.

A long game of back and forth would quickly ensue on Calgary's home court with points awarded to both teams, never allowing more than a four-point lead until the end of the first quarter. A nice jump shot from Alan Spoonhunter, followed by a free throw, would go to set the score 27-22 at the end of the first quarter, in favour of the Dinos.

With five three-point shots from the Bobcats in the second quarter, the game swiftly changed direction, unlike yesterday's matchup. Although the Dinos stuck to their game, this time it was the hot shooting Bobcats who held the lead at the half, 51-46.

The Bobcats held the lead at the beginning of the third quarter, it was quickly cut short when Dylan Lutes had no problems connecting from behind the arc, allowing the Dinos to start with an 8-0 point run and take a 54-51 lead. Both teams managed to keep a close eye on each other, racking up points but not allowing either team to take major advantage. A buzzer beater from Dewayne Thompson would go to close out the third quarter, setting the Bobcats up with a 75-71 lead to start the final quarter.

"You have to give credit to Brandon. Tonight, their players came out and shot the ball the way that they can and played at the level they can play at," mentioned Dinos head coach Dan Vanhooren.

"We did a good job taking care of the basketball – we didn't turn it over and we got some good minutes of Javi (Javier Romas-Yzquierdo) rebounding the ball and it gave us some extra possessions. We didn't shoot it well and it gave us a chance to actually put up enough points to win the ball game."

The final quarter was not much different than the rest, lots of trading points, until the 3:48 mark when the Dinos really showed their offensive and defensive skill. Their defence limited BU to just two points the rest of the way, while the offence - in large part due to Wharton and Ramos-Yzquierdo - helped Calgary rattle off a 12-0 run in less than two minutes before the final score of 100-87.

"I think their perseverance; it's a character game," Vanhooren said. "You're not going to beat the team in the first quarter or the second quarter. It takes a whole game, and sometimes there's ebb and flow in basketball. When things aren't going our way, we've got to stay positive and still get after it and believe that the outcome will eventually take care of itself if we do the right things."

With the playoffs looming within the next few weeks, Wharton added, "It's always a win or go home situation for us, and we always want to win our games. With playoffs coming up, I feel like we need games like this to test us and just make sure we're ready."

Both teams will return to the court on Friday Feb. 7 with an 8 p.m. tip off. The Dinos will remain at home where they face off against the Lethbridge Horns, and the Bobcats will continue their road trip, travelling to Winnipeg to take on the Wesmen.

-UC-