CALGARY – An all-out team effort by the University of Calgary Dinos led them to an 81-74 victory over the Weber State Wildcats Sunday night non-conference action at the Jack Simpson Gym.

After turnovers plagued the Dinos Saturday night against Creighton, the hosts were able to keep better control of the ball en route to the victory.

“We didn’t turn the ball over as much, and for us that’s the key,” said Calgary coach Dan Vanhooren. “Our effort both nights was excellent, and I think that says a lot about the character of the kids we have. We were a little more relaxed tonight, some guys shook the rust off, and I think we looked a little more comfortable out there.”

A balanced offensive attack coupled with a strong defensive effort gave the Dinos the lead after a tight first quarter and then held the Wildcats, who won the Big Sky Conference title in 2006-07, at bay.

“We gave up a couple 12-point runs to Creighton, and that puts you in the hole too far,” Vanhooren said. “We got up on them by 10 tonight and they went on a couple of four- or five-point runs, but they never really got further than that. I think defensively this team that we have is much better defensively than any team we’ve had in the last several years.”

Both teams got off to a tentative start, with Weber State taking a 7-2 lead midway through the opening quarter. Calgary clawed back to tie it up, and the teams headed into the quarter break drawn at 12.

The tight play continued through the first five minutes of the second quarter until back-to-back treys from Jeff Price (3rd year, Calgary) and Henry Bekkering (3rd, Taber, Alta.) opened up a lead for the home side, and Calgary took a 35-27 lead into halftime.

Calgary’s Robbie Sihota (3rd, Calgary) scored four points in the first 90 seconds of the third quarter to extend the lead, but the Wildcats began to fight back as guard Dezmon Harris (Sr., Fort Worth, Tex.) scored his team’s first eight points of the half. Arturas Valeika (Sr., Vilnius, Lithuania) cut the Calgary lead to two at 41-39, and the teams traded points through the rest of the stanza. Daviin Davis (So., Midland, Tex.) hit an impossible three-pointer at the buzzer, and Calgary led 55-50 after three quarters.

That clutch shooting from beyond the arc carried forward into the fourth quarter for Weber State as they again began to cut into the Calgary lead. Three straight fouls to Henry Bekkering brought the lead down to a single point, and Valeika gave the visitors the lead with 6:20 to play.

Foul trouble, however, began to catch up with the Wildcats. Ross Bekkering (3rd, Taber, Alta.) turned a three-point play on Valeika’s fifth personal foul of the night to give the Dinos the lead, and Calgary did not look back. Cody Darrah (5th, Edmonton) hit a wide-open three-ball in the final minute to go with 7-for-7 free throw shooting on the night to ice the win for Calgary.

Henry Bekkering led the Dinos with 18 points and seven boards while Sihota added 17 points. Price and Darrah added 16 apiece in a balanced attack for Calgary. Ross Bekkering led all players with 13 rebounds on the night. Harris potted 21 to lead Weber State in scoring, while Tyler Billings (Jr., Logan, Utah) contributed 15 and Valeika 14.

Both teams will see their final action of the 2007 Battle of the Border tournament Monday as the Wildcats take on the Saskatchewan Huskies at 10 a.m. before the Dinos hook up with the Creighton Bluejays in the tournament finale at noon.

CALGARY – The Creighton Bluejays and Calgary Dinos treated the 968 holiday weekend fans in the Jack Simpson Gym Saturday night to an entertaining basketball game, with the defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Bluejays coming out on top 85-77.

Turnovers plagued the Dinos throughout the affair, with 28 in total including 17 in the first half, and coach Dan Vanhooren knows his charges have plenty to work on before the Canada West season opens in November.

“We turned the ball over, and when you do that against good teams they’re going to run up the score on you at times,” he said. “They had two or three very consistent runs that put them up six or eight points more, and those are just off our own turnovers and our own mistakes. Hopefully even by Monday we’ll be able to correct some of those things and not turn the ball over as much as we did.”

The same two teams meet Monday afternoon to close out the weekend.

The most significant of those runs for Creighton came at the end of the second quarter. Calgary led 21-18 after 10 minutes and kept it tight through the first five of the second frame, but 10 turnovers led to 21 Bluejay points in the stanza compared to only 10 for the Dinos. Creighton took a 42-31 lead into halftime.

Creighton extended its lead to as much as 20 in the third before back-to-back threes from Jeff Price (3rd year, Calgary) cut into the deficit. The Bluejays managed to stay in front thanks to stellar efforts from Dane Watts (Sr., Warrensburg, Mo.), who finished with 21 points on the night, and Nick Bahe (Sr., Lincoln, Neb.), who added 15 on the night. Creighton led 68-51 after three quarters.

The Dinos turned it around in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Bluejays 26-17 in the final frame.

The game marked the first chance for fans to see transfer Henry Bekkering (3rd year, Taber, Alta.) in a Dinos uniform along with recruits Price and Tyler Fidler (1st year, Calgary). Vanhooren was pleased with the performances of the three newcomers.

“Henry’s power and athleticism are huge, and we’ve got to get him the ball in positions where he can score a little more often. With all the guys we had in foul trouble it was difficult at times for us to get him where we wanted him. Jeff was awesome when he wasn’t in foul trouble, and it was nice to see Tyler hit a couple big shots and get a dunk here and there.”

Bekkering potted 12 points in his Dinos debut, while Price went 4-for-4 from the field for 11 points – all in the second half. Cody Darrah (5th, Edmonton) led the way for Calgary with 14 points, while Ross Bekkering (3rd, Taber, Alta.) opened the season with a double-double, scoring 13 points and hauling down 11 rebounds – including five of the offensive variety.

In earlier action, Creighton defeated Saskatchewan 87-82 after trailing 49-43 at halftime. Watts also led the Bluejays with 20 points in that contest, while freshman Kenny Lawson, Jr. (Oceanside, Calif.) also chipped in 20.

The second game of the day featured Weber State taking on Lethbridge. The Wildcats were all over the Pronghorns, holding Lethbridge to only seven points in the second half as they cruised to a 97-31 victory.

The 2007 Battle of the Border continues Sunday with four more contests. Weber State opens the day with a tilt against the Mt. Royal College All-Star team at 10:30 a.m., followed by Creighton vs. Lethbridge at 1 p.m. The Dinos play their second game of the weekend against Weber State at 5:30 p.m., and Creighton and Saskatchewan will close the day with tip-off set for 8 p.m.

Game Stats - Click Here