Box Score Lethbridge – A night after holding off the third ranked Saskatchewan Huskies to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, the Lethbridge Pronghorns had those hopes dashed, suffering a hard fought 74-67 defeat.
The loss drops the 'Horns to 7-11 on the season and officially eliminates them from post season contention. The Huskies on the other hand improve to 13-5 and with Victoria's loss tonight in Brandon, move into a first place tie in the Pioneer Division.
Australia native Brandon Brine led all scorers with 25 points for the Pronghorns, while Rob Olsen chipped in with 16 points. Brine also had eight rebounds to tie freshman Zac Overwater for the team high. Matt Forbes led the way for the Huskies with 21 points, while Ben Baker hit three from long range and banked in 15 points on the night.
Out of the gate it looked like it could be a high scoring affair with both teams hitting shots early. The 'Horns hit five threes in the opening quarter, including three from Brine, but the Huskies would match the 'Horns with four of their own and finished the quarter with a 22-18 lead, one that they would never relinquish again.
From there on out, the defences took centre stage, with both teams forcing the other into difficult shots, which in turn saw the shooting percentages of both teams drop dramatically. The 'Horns were only 5 for 20 in the second, including missing all seven long distance shots after hitting five of eight in the opening.
The Huskies weren't any better, only hitting three shots from the floor in the quarter, but held a 33-30 lead at the break.
Despite holding the advantage from the three minute mark on, the Huskies were not ever able put any real distance between themselves and the 'Horns, with the biggest lead of the game coming early into the fourth quarter with a 10 point bulge, 61-51.
With the Huskies holding a 66-61 lead with five minutes remaining, Jared Baker hit a layup as the shot clock expired to cut the lead to three and kick some life into the 'Horns down the stretch but they could not sustain a run.
A foul on a Forbes' three point attempt allowed the gap to widen up to six. Connor Burns hit a single free throw and Ben Baker would connect on two of his own to push the lead up to eight.
Again the 'Horns wouldn't go away quietly, Brine hit his fourth long ball of the game with just over a minute to play to give the 'Horns a chance, but that would be the last basket the 'Horns would make.
Overall neither team had stellar shooting nights with the 'Huskies shooting at slightly better clip of 36.9% compared to the 'Horns 35.6%.
The 'Horns will head out on the road next weekend to complete the 2014-15 Canada West season, traveling to Edmonton to face the Alberta Golden Bears. The Huskies will have their sights on claiming top spot in the Pioneer Division and host the Calgary Dinos.
