CALGARY – Coming off an unexpected extra long bye, the Lethbridge Pronghorns were able to return to the win column, grinding out a close 85-81 win over the Calgary Dinos Friday night in Calgary.
A week ago, the Pronghorns were to travel to Edmonton to face the MacEwan Griffins after a scheduled bye week but that two game series was postponed due to MacEwan not having the minimum number of players to safely compete.
The win improves the Pronghorns record to 5-6 on the season and move into a tie in wins with the Mount Royal Cougars for third place in the Central Division. The Pronghorns have three games in hand on the Cougars but MRU holds the tie breaker after winning the season series.
With the loss the Dinos fall to 9-4 but still firmly hold down second spot in the division.
A pair of former Dinos led the way for the Pronghorns in the win. Coming off the bench, Angelo Mbituyimana scored a game high 24 points, on a efficient shooting night, hitting 10 of 15 from the field. He also hit 4 of 6 shots from behind the arc. Centre Jeff Rodehutskors picked up 22 points.
Senior forward Chad Oviatt picked up his fourth double-double of the season with 16 rebounds to go along with 10 points.
Noah Wharton led the Dinos with 17 points with Javier Ramos-Yzquierdo and Aidan Smith chipping in with 15 and 14 points respectively.
The Dinos offence struggled to find its rhythm early in the game, shooting 30 percent from the field in the opening frame. Crashing the glass and generating points off turnovers, the Dinos mustered a one-point lead at the half courtesy of the extra shot attempts.
Lethbridge closed the third quarter on a 13-2 run on the back of Rodehutskors. The former Dino finished the night shooting 8 of 12 at the free-throw line, despite coming into the game converting just 37 percent of attempts.
After only getting to the line four times in the first three quarters, the Dinos aggressiveness finally paid dividends in the fourth. Entering the bonus with over five minutes to play, the Dinos attempted 15 free throws in the fourth quarter alone. They only made 10 of them.
Even still, the game was tied with four minutes to play, Mbituyimana on the bench for Lethbridge after fouling out, and the Dinos seemed destined to pull off the comeback. Enter, De'Andrae Pierre.
Fueling a 6-0 run, Pierre gave the Pronghorns some much-needed breathing room in the waning minutes. The two-way play of Aidan Smith and Jeffrey Tezo of the Dinos mustered a valiant response and drew Calgary within one possession and the ball with 17 seconds left to play.
Noah Wharton, who missed crucial minutes in the fourth with an injury, held the ball for the final shot when Shae Gibb made the play of the game – poking the ball loose and giving the game to the Pronghorns with less than 15 seconds to play.
Calgary will look to avenge the loss and earn the split on Senior Night on Saturday as they close out the season series against Lethbridge. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. MT on Canada West TV, presented by Co-op.
