Dinos open second semester with lopsided win over Regina

CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos men's basketball team opened the second semester in convincing fashion, rolling past the Regina Cougars 97-71 on Friday night at the Jack Simpson Gym.

First-year guard Mrigendra Dhaliwal led the way with 29 points, his highest home total of the season and his best scoring performance since a 37-point outing in his second career game at Lethbridge.

"We put in the work over the break," said Dhaliwal. "All that shooting and the extra hours really paid off today."

The win moves Calgary to 6-5 on the season as it begins the push toward hosting the U SPORTS Final 8 in March. Regina drops to 4-7.

Calgary took advantage of early Cougars mistakes to build a 10-point lead after one quarter. Nearly half of the Dinos' points in the opening frame came off turnovers, as Regina gave the ball away seven times. A late 10-0 run turned a one-point game into a double-digit advantage, capped by a three-pointer from Aidan Smith that made it 24-14.

The Dinos carried that momentum into the second quarter, scoring on five of their first six field-goal attempts. The surge was part of a dominant 19-2 run that stretched from the end of the first into the middle of the second. Regina settled after a timeout, but Calgary's defensive play continued to cause problems. Six more forced turnovers led to 14 Dinos points as the lead ballooned to as many as 26 before halftime.

Regina produced its strongest stretch in the third quarter, shooting 50 percent from the floor. Calgary matched the output, remaining sharp from long range and knocking down five three-pointers in the frame to keep the Cougars at bay.

Any hope of a Regina comeback faded in the fourth. The quarter was highlighted by back-to-back dunks from Hayden Franson that brought the Jack Simpson Gym crowd to its feet as Calgary closed out the lopsided win.

Along with Dhaliwal's 29 points, the Dinos received balanced scoring across the lineup. Franson finished with 14 points, Daniel Chijioke added 13, Dre Francis scored 12, and Smith chipped in 11. Sufyan Elkannan led Regina with 16 points.

The Dinos and Cougars wrap up their weekend set on Saturday with a 6 p.m. tipoff at the Jack Simpson Gym.