Dinos women’s basketball shines in victory over TRU
By Tommy Osborne, September 20 2016 —
The Dinos women’s basketball team won their second game of the regular season, dominating the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack on Sept. 24 with a final score of 73–59. The win extended the Dinos’ winning streak to three games and marked the second time they’ve won by double digits.
The game started poorly for the Dinos who were unable to capitalize on offensive opportunities. Following a series of missed layups and poor turnovers, TRU took advantage of the Dinos’ missteps and shot out to a commanding 11–3 lead. However, the Dinos fought back, tying the game 14–14 by the end of the first quarter and taking an eight point lead by halftime.
“There wasn’t much change on the defensive end,” head coach Damian Jennings said. “It was on the offensive end, just making sure we moved the ball a little more, and got our screen angles where we wanted them.”
Jennings’ ability to make adjustments in his approach after the 11–3 deficit allowed for the team to come back strong and establish a lead at the half.
First-year guard Bobbi Jo Colburn had the highlight of the night with an impressive play in the second quarter, intercepting a pass at the point of release to give her a breakout opportunity. Colburn made her layup, drew a foul and made the free throw for an impressive three-point play.
In the second half of the game, the Dinos’ defence continued to dominate, giving the offence more opportunities. The second half gave the Dinos a considerable lead over their opponents.
Second-year forward Erin McIntosh had an efficient game, shooting five out of six for a total of 12 points and leading the team in scoring. She was a constant force — dominating in the paint with four layups as well as four rebounds — but also showed her ability to stretch the court with a three-point sinker. She added two assists and a steal to her impressive statline for the night.
McIntosh credited her success to the teammates around her.
“I think that we gave each other shots,” she said. “So it’s not actually about who scores — it’s more about who creates for other people. We got a lot of offence from our defence. I think that’s where it really came together for us.”
The Dinos continued to pull away, finishing the third quarter with a 55–37 lead. The large lead allowed the team to be more aggressive on defence, initiating turnovers and forcing TRU to take shots at poor angles.
Jennings was impressed with his team’s defensive performance, but admitted the offence still has room to grow.
“There’s 10 players completely new to playing, so there’s that teething, growing, storming-norming-performing cycle that we’re in,” Jennings said. “Our offence still has a long way to go. [Right now] our defence is what’s pushing teams over.”
The thought of improvement to the Dinos’ offence should scare opposing teams, as they have already been strong this season. The Dinos put up 73 points against TRU. If the offence elevates to the same level of play as the defence, the Dinos women’s basketball team will be a force to be reckoned with in the Canada West this season.
The Dinos will battle the Mount Royal Cougars in their next game on Thursday, Sept. 29 at 1:00 p.m. They will look to extend their winning streak to four games at MRU before heading into the Calgary Cup on home court in early October.