Horns sweep Cougars
BURDEAUX’S LATE THREEPOINTER LIFTS U OF L MEN OVER MOUNT ROYAL
The University of Lethbridge Pronghorns women’s basketball team dealt with a disruptive opponent all night. However, it’s wasn’t enough to disrupt their undefeated start to the season as the Pronghorns ultimately got past the Mount Royal University Cougars 72-56 in Canada West action Thursday night at the 1st Choice Savings Centre to improve to 5-0.
Still, the hosts had to deal with a Cougars team that trimmed a 37-27 halftime deficit to 53-48 after the third quarter — outscoring the Horns 21-16 in that quarter — before Lethbridge was able to settle things down in the fourth to pull away for the win.
The rematch in the home-andhome series goes Saturday night in Calgary.
“Full credit to Mount Royal,” said Pronghorns head coach Dave Adams. “Excellent game plan, they did everything they did to make it messy and take us out and disrupt and I really thought in the second and third quarter they did an outstanding job of creating disruption of what we wanted to do offensively.”
After watching their 10-point lead dwindle at the half, the Horns pulled away in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Cougars 19-8.
“We became much more calm and much more deliberate in what we were doing with the ball and the way we were running our offence. I thought Mount Royal did a great job of disrupting our flow and taking us out of our timing early. I thought in the fourth quarter we settled back in and were good.”
Veteran Zoe Dahl led the Pronghorns with 17 points, while rookies Amy Mazutinec and Jessica Zarowny each had 10.
“We realized we weren’t playing our game, we were playing theirs, so we decided to stick to what we know,” said Mazutinec, whose been enjoying her team’s strong start out of the gate in her first season. “It’s so fun, it’s my favourite type of basketball to play. It’s fast and I have really good friends on the team already. I’m liking it a lot.”
Mazutinec and Katie Keith each hauled in six rebounds in the win.
The Horns look for their third sweep of the season that will improve them to 6-0 when the teams meet in Calgary Saturday.
“I expect the same from them,” said Adams. “They got us deep and they got us low. So they’re going to go back to a steady diet of trying to pound it in the post. For us, we’re at our best when we play southern Alberta basketball. So when we play in pace and space we’re much better. It’s going to be who’s will is going to prevail. Are they going to prevail by getting it down inside or can we speed it up and get away from them?”
In the men’s game, the Pronghorns won a thriller, topping the Cougars 96-93 on a late three-pointer from veteran DeJon Burdeaux to improve to 5-0.
The Pronghorns got double-digit performances from all their starters as Burdeaux led the way with 28 points and Kyle Peterson had 18.
Colton Gibb added 15 and Zac Overwater and Saren Westrop each had 13.
Burdeaux, who returned to the game in the fourth quarter after hyperextending his knee, also had 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Overwater added eight rebounds.
The teams meet again Saturday in Calgary.