The interprovincial rivalry between the women’s basketball teams from the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta has seen its share of hard-fought battles, and last weekend’s games in Edmonton were no exception.
The young Dinos squad dropped both games to the Pandas, but the standings don’t show how the visitors recovered from a disappointing matchup on Friday to put a scare into their hosts on Saturday.
The Dinos fell back 8-0 in just over two minutes Friday night, and they never recovered. Despite a huge two-way effort by post Jessica Foltinek–12 points, six blocks and five rebounds–the Dinos fell 72-56 to the experienced Pandas. Tanya Hautala led the Dinos with 13 points and Lindsay Maundrell matched Foltinek with five rebounds of her own.
The slaughter was not to be repeated. On Saturday, the Dinos kept it close early in the first half, aided by a nine-point run midway through the period. Trailing by 10 after 20 minutes, they were unable to catch the Pandas and finished on the low end of a 77-62 final score. Foltinek repeated her 12-point performance from the previous night to lead the Dinos and added seven rebounds, while Maundrell continued her consistent play with 11 points. Anna Bekkering had ten points for her best showing of the young season, and sister Cory Bekkering had a monster night on the boards, racking up 11 rebounds.
The score may have been similar, but the Dinos’ performance was anything but. There was a passion present on Saturday that Friday’s team seemed incapable of feeling.
“Nobody wants to get their butt kicked two days in a row,” said Head Coach Shawnee Harle. “Friday I thought we lost, but Saturday I thought we got beat.”
The Dinos outshot and outrebounded the Pandas on Saturday, demonstrating what they will be capable of when the young players get a little more used to Canada West basketball.
Anna Bekkering, the lone fifth-year Dino, has played many of the most important games of her career in the U of A gym, including appearances at two national championships and a number of CW playoff matchups. Last weekend marked her final regular-season trip to Edmonton but not her last meeting with the Pandas who will play in Calgary in January.
“I love playing the U of A,” Bekkering stated. “They’re one of our biggest rivals. They’re a team that’s already at the top of their game, and we’re still young, still growing. They’re going to have to try to beat us in our own gym.”
Bekkering admits that it can be frustrating to be the leader of a young team, but she’s already impressed with the growth the team has shown over their first four games.
“We’ve come a long way since the start of the season, and we’re only going to get better.”
The Dinos will host the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns Nov. 22-23 at 6:30 p.m. at the Jack Simpson.