Editor’s note: This article previously neglected to mention Calgary’s opponent in the consolation final. The Charlatan regrets the error.
The Calgary Dinos earned themselves a spot in the women’s consolation final of the 2020 U Sports Final 8 after beating the Ryerson Rams 87-64 on March 6.
Though only a few fans sat in the stands at the Ravens Nest, there was a strong atmosphere for the game as both teams kept it close until the Dinos pulled away in the second half of the game.
After losing a heart-breaking quarterfinal match to Brock the day before, the Dinos had to put it in their “rearview mirror,” according to head coach Damian Jennings, and focus on reaching the fifth place match.
“Quite often in life, you feel very miserable on a certain day after a certain event,” he said. “Today, obviously, it’s about moving on to the next day and trying to put yourself into that consolation gold medal game, which is where we were in 2018.”
But it wasn’t that easy.
Ryerson was the first team to take control as fifth-year guard Hayley Robertson (and the team’s player of the game), dictated her teammates on the court. The Rams had a 10-3 lead three minutes into the game and didn’t trail until there was 3:12 left on the clock.
As a result, Jennings called an early time out to recollect his team and it worked as Calgary flipped a switch and led 28-22 by the end of the first.
Coming into the second, though, a strong push from Ryerson’s defence helped shave the scoreline as they limited their opponents to only 17 points. Five successful three-pointers from Robertson (three) and Marin Scotten (two, including the tying shot) brought them back into the game.
At halftime, both teams were dead locked 45-45.
For the second half of the game, the Dinos attacked with more energy coming out of the locker room and found ways to create space for themselves by pulling Ryerson defenders towards the key.
Calgary’s strong use of the bench helped them fight for the lead and resulted in 31 points towards the team’s win. Dinos player of the game Reyna Crawford made the biggest impact with a team-high 19 points.
“That’s been our calling card all year,” said Jennings. “[It’s] the way we like to run our business and a part of it is the pace and the style of play.”
“Reanna Crawford helped those bench points go up today. She did a particularly good job,” said Jennings.
Calgary will now play against Carleton in the consolation final on March 7 at 3 p.m. in the Ravens Nest.
Feature image by Spencer Colby
