A low-scoring second half sunk the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s basketball team in a 97-63 loss to the Calgary Dinos in Game 1 of the a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series in Calgary.
Game 2 is set for Friday night, and a Dinos win would send them back to the U SPORTS Final 8 for the fourth consecutive year, while the Huskies must now fight to extend their season.
After a tight 21-20 first quarter, the Dinos picked up the intensity on the defensive end including a big Brett Layton rejection. In the first half the Dinos forced the Huskies to commit 14 turnovers to lead 45-34 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Dinos exploded offensively scoring 31 points in the quarter and holding the Huskies to only 12 points. The Dinos sealed the deal in the final frame.
Despite the win, the Dinos were out rebounded by the Huskies by a 50-33 margin.
Mambi Diawara did what he does best, scoring 26 points and adding seven assists on 10-of-20 shooting. Lucas Mannes had an efficient night shooting 4-of-6 for a 13-point game.
Brett Layton and Max Eisele had big nights on the defensive end. Layton finished with 11 points and five blocks and Eisele had eight points, four steals, and drew some important charges to get his team the ball back.
Chan De Ciman had a big effort offensively for the Huskies scoring 19 points and four rebounds. Lawrence Moore was right behind him with 14 points and six rebounds of his own.
The Dinos and Huskies clash again tonight as the Huskies will look to tie the series up at 8 p.m. MT in the Jack Simpson Gym.
