Box Score
Edmonton - Despite a never-say-die attitude by the visiting Lethbridge Pronghorns, the No.8 Alberta Golden Bears claimed a 91-83 victory in an offensive affair, Friday night at the Saville Community Sport Centre.
Third-year guard and Alberta’s rebound specialist Jordan Baker earned a double-double on the evening, notching a game-high 25 points to go with 10 boards. Four other Golden Bears cracked the 10-point barrier, Daniel Ferguson (15), Lyndon Taylor (14), Rob Dewar (13), and Matthew Cardoza (10) all trying to wear out the lights on the scoreboard.
A couple of Pronghorns tried to do the same, as Dominyc Coward (earning his own double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds) and Daryl Cooper (21 points) both put in capital efforts that fell just a bit short in Alberta’s capital city.
Third-year guards Cooper and Morgan Duce both tallied eight points in the high-flying opening quarter where Lethbridge and Alberta combined for 51 points, the Pronghorns eking out the lead with a Cooper jumper with nine seconds remaining.
Unfortunately, a combination of foul trouble for the visitors and timely baskets by the hometown squad began to sway the momentum to Alberta, outscoring Lethbridge 24-16 in the second quarter to take a five-point lead at halftime.
Fourth-year guard Julian Spear Chief-Morris cut the deficit to two right off the hop with a long trey to open the third, but a 13-3 run spearheaded by 10 points by Baker had the Pronghorns down by a dozen only three minutes into the half.
Yet the resilient road team soldiered on and managed to get within three, nearly tying the game multiple times, were it not for bad bounces off the rim.
The 70-67 score entering the final frame made the crowd uneasy, but a concerted team effort and a timely layup by rookie Sebastian Cava right on the baseline put Alberta back up front by seven, planting the momentum squarely in their favour to lead them to victory.
The 7-4 Golden Bears, currently tied for first place in the Prairie division of Canada West, and the 5-6 Pronghorns face off in the second game of their two-game series tomorrow (Saturday) at the Saville Community Sport Centre in Edmonton. Tip-off goes at 8 PM MT.
