Dinos basketball opens season ahead of Pack the Jack

By Kristy Koehler, November 1 2018 —

The University of Calgary Dinos men’s basketball team opened their season of Canada West conference play with a home court win on Oct. 26. The game began with a banner raising celebrating the team’s U Sports National Championship title win last year, the first in Dinos history.

This year, the Dinos look to defend the title and are off to a good start. The Dinos bested the University of Regina Cougars 91–68 to open the season. Dinos guard Mambi Diawara led the team in scoring, racking up 30 points.

The following night, the Dinos defended their win, once again triumphing over the Cougars. This time, 6’8” forward Lars Schlueter led the team in scoring, delivering 22 points in the 95–60 Dinos win.

The next Dinos game is Pack the Jack on Nov. 1. The marquee event is taking place much earlier than normal this year due to scheduling issues. Dubbed “the rowdiest night of the year,” the game usually takes place in February. With three home games in the winter semester, one of which takes place before classes start in January, the Dinos decided to schedule the game for early November.

Pack the Jack sees the Dinos host the University of Alberta. The women’s team plays at 6 p.m. in the Jack Simpson Gymnasium and the men’s game follows at 8 p.m. Prizes up for grabs include Dinos clothing, swag and playoff football tickets. Bring your student card to get in free.