The University of Calgary men’s basketball team went 2-0 against their National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics competition in Montana this past weekend. It brings their pre-season schedule nearly to a close with only a single game remaining against the University of Whitworth Pirates from Spokane Sat., Oct. 27. It will be the first home game for the Dinos since Sep. 3 when they played the Creighton University Bluejays.
Last Friday, the Dinos played the Montana Tech Orediggers and left Butte with a 73-67 victory. The boys from Taber–Ross and Henry Bekkering–led the win. Ross recorded a double-double with 18 rebounds and 16 points. Henry had 23 points and four rebounds. Teammates Jeff Price chipped in with 12 points and Tyler Fidler had nine.
The Dinos controlled the game in nearly every offensive category except for three-point shooting. The Orediggers made a late charge but Henry Bekkering made some key hoops which ended any chance of the Orediggers mining a victory out of the game.
The Dinos then travelled down the road to Helena to take on the Carroll College Fighting Saints. The Dinos needed extra time to pull out an 85-83 win. Ross Bekkering and Jeff Price recorded double-doubles with Ross scoring 19 points and 12 rebounds and Price with 13 points and 10 assists. Rookie Fidler continued his solid play with 13 points. Dino Veterans Cody Darrah and Robbie Sihota each hit double figures for the Dinos with 12 points.
“It was a good win for us,” said Dinos forward Ross Bekkering. “Carroll has given a lot of Canadian universities a really good run, I think it’s been awhile since a Canadian team went down and beat them in their own gym. To win by two in overtime in their own gym was a really big win for us.”
Although the Dinos coaching staff is pleased with how the team played in both games, they are frustrated with the teams inconsistent play during games so far in the pre-season.
“It’s almost like you would have to be there to see it,” said Dino head coach Dan Vanhooren. “We went up on both teams big, early and played well for the first 15 minutes of each half and then we had five minute straight lapses in each half. When you do that you allow them back into the game.”
The team will be counting on rookie point guard Price, who played with the Mount Royal Cougars last season, to help keep the play of the Dinos more consistent throughout games. Price has been a tremendous addition to the Dinos so far with his strong play and passing abilities and will be key in helping the Dinos put away opponents this season.
“I am very thankful that I am in the position to be able to play the minutes that I am able to play and to contribute the way that I have been recently, especially this past weekend,” said Price. “I felt I had a good weekend and our team had a good weekend.”
Vanhooren is confident in Price’s abilities.
“He’s an absolute need for us both offensively and defensively and he’s easy to coach,” he said. “He shoots the ball well as a point guard and he came out and did a fantastic job last game with 13 points and 10 assists and that’s a heavy double-double for a point guard.”
The victories did come at a price though, as Henry Bekkering sprained his ankle, which will keep him out of the lineup this weekend.
“He was walking on it fine today so he’ll be sitting out practise for the next couple of days,” said Vanhooren optimistically of Bekkering. “Hopefully, he’ll be practicing by the end of the week.”