When the farm girls came to town on the weekend, nobody expected the Dinos to have to put up such a fight.
In a close two-game battle between the University of Calgary Dinos and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies on Jan. 18–19 at the Jack, the Dinos continued their longest winning streak of the season and improved their record to 7–6.
Friday’s game saw Jennifer Goldade and Anna Bekkering leading the Dinos through a tight opening half. Supported by guard Natalie Hudec’s three pointers the Dinos held a five point lead over Saskabush at the break. In the second half the Dinos warmed up, took control, and held a solid 10 point lead against the Huskies throughout most of the half.
Calgary dominated the game and facing a strong defence scoring didn’t come easy for the whimpering Huskies. Even the crucial timeout taken by Huskies Coach Lisa Thomadis six seconds before the end of the game couldn’t keep the Dinos from taking the game home 77–66.
On Saturday, the Huskies haddefinitely done their homework and turned the second game into a nail-biter for Dinos fans.
U of C seemed to expect a repeat of Friday’s game and was unable to keep Saskatchewan from scoring. The Huskies held a 31–23 lead at the break and continued their solid play far into the back end of the game.
The Dinos came storming back midway through the second, scoring 17 points in a five minute span, finally taking the lead. A tight battle ensued during the final minutes of the game-the Huskies refused to let Calgary take control and forced the game into overtime. In the extra session, the always steady Laura Jablonski gave the Dinos a lead which they maintained with great effort, taking the game in a thrilling final. 69–65.