Battle of Alberta spreads to hoops
Dinos, Pandas women’s teams vie for Canada West bragging rights in series
Fresh off a character win last week in Saskatoon, the University of Calgary Dinos turn their attention to the University of Alberta Pandas on the second-last weekend of the regular season in Canada West women’s basketball.
The Battle of Alberta opens Thursday night at the Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton, with tipoff at 6 p.m. The series returns to Calgary on Saturday, with the Dinos celebrating their graduating seniors following the 5 p.m. rematch in the Jack Simpson Gym.
Last weekend, the Dinos (15-1) lost their first game of the regular season to the Saskatchewan Huskies (15-1) before defeating the hosts in the second matchup of the series. Both teams remain neckand-neck on top in Canada West, although the Dinos have the edge in the all-important RPI metric that will determine final playoff seeding.
“Clearly our fight was so much better in Game 2,” said Dinos head coach Damian Jennings on last weekend’s series versus Saskatchewan. “We have much to get better at, and that will continue till the last game of the season.”
The Dinos currently possess a strong offensive leadership from third-year guard Liene Stalidzane, who holds a 47 field goal percentage, averaging 14.3 points per game, and 4.1 rebounds per game. Also holding the front are Bobbi-jo Colburn and Erin Mcintosh — fourth-year and fifth-year talents respectively — with 12.5 and 11.6 points per game apiece.
The Pandas (14-2) are entering the weekend from a 10-game winning streak. Leading the team’s strong offensive stance is fifthyear guard Vanessa Wild with an average 50.7 field goal percentage, averaging 17.7 points per game, and 6.3 rebounds per game. Fifth-year star Megan Tywoniuk and thirdyear talent Jenna Harpe are close behind with 9.3 and 8.0 points per game each.
“(Alberta is) well-coached, talented, deep, and have a nice profile of fifth-year experience down to talented freshmen,” Jennings said. “There really isn’t a weakness across the positions — we are excited about the test.”
The Dinos will host Senior Night in the second game of the series, to celebrate the efforts of players in their final year. In particular, the Dinos will honour Mcintosh, Sascha Lichtenwald, Michaela Nieuwenhuizen, and club captain Anmol Mattu.
“I’m super excited for the upcoming weekend and getting to celebrate with the team and all their families,” Lichtenwald said. “But we need to focus and take care of the business on the court first, as this is a really big weekend for us with some tough competition.”
BATTLE OF ALBERTA IN MEN’S BASKETBALL, TOO
Four games remain on the 201920 calendar for the second-ranked University of Calgary Dinos men’s basketball team, and it will put its unbeaten record on the line this weekend in a marquee matchup against the archrival Golden Bears.
The Battle of Alberta tips off Thursday night in Edmonton before returning to Calgary for Saturday night’s capper. The Dinos will host as part of Local Night, a celebration of local businesses presented by Local Laundry, with a 7 p.m. tipoff Saturday night in the Jack Simpson Gym.
On a weekend with plenty of Calgary-edmonton clashes, the undefeated Dinos (16-0) face the oneloss Golden Bears (15-1) in a battle for first place in Canada West. The two teams have combined for the last four straight and five of the last six Canada West championships, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see them meet for the conference title in a month’s time.
The Dinos were on the road last weekend as they travelled to Huskies territory to take on Saskatchewan at home. After sweeping the Huskies on the weekend, the Dinos moved to 16-0 on the season. The Dinos executed a dominating win over the Huskies on Day 1 at the PAC but got off to a slow start on Day 2 to go down early, only to outpace the home team in the fourth. Fourth-year forward Brett Layton posted a team-high 56 points and 28 boards on the weekend.
With their playoff spot already secured, the two-time defending Canada West champion Dinos are looking to make it three in a row this year, as they face two familiar rivals in Alberta and Mount Royal to wrap up the season. The Dinos’ streak is bound for the history books — 39 consecutive regular-season wins, 49 consecutive conference and playoff wins against Canada West opponents, and 31 straight wins at home. And of course, the Bears would love nothing more than to end those this week.
“We are excited to be in the playoffs but need to stay focused on each game and our game plan for each evening,” said Dinos head coach Dan Vanhooren.
“We have not played all season with our complete lineup due to injury, and as a result our effort and intellect will have to be very present against the deep and talented U of A team. The Bears will be a great test for our team, and we look forward to the challenges they present.”