CALGARY – A big slide late in the first half doomed the Thompson Rivers WolfPack men's basketball team in a 98-83 road loss to the Calgary Dinos Friday night.
 
TRU received contributions from throughout the lineup in the match.
 
Denys Bachurin led the way with 19 points, Daniel Bost added 15 points and six assists, Cyrus Harrison chipped in with 13 while Simon Crossfield knocked down a trio of three-pointers to finish the match with 11 points. Returning to action for the first time since suffering an arm injury during the preseason, Asher Mayan scored nine points.

Opening a six-game home stand, Calgary continued its torrid shooting to start 2024. Last week they matched their most points in a game since 2016, and for the second consecutive game they shot 59 percent from the field. Nate Petrone, Dylan Lutes & Noah Wharton combined for 36 first-half points, only four missed shots in that span.

The WolfPack kept pace with the Dinos early, moving the ball and registering seven assists on eight made field goals in the opening 10 minutes. The moment their shooting cooled like the frigid Calgary temperatures, the Dinos pounced – blitzing TRU with a 21-5 run towards the end of the first half. 

Calgary's advantage at the rim continued in the third quarter, with the Dinos scoring more than half of their points in the painted area. After a TRU timeout midway through the third, the WolfPack countered with a 7-0 run – keyed by three points from Tyler Schilling -  to shrink the deficit to 70-63 heading into the final frame.

The scoring picked up in the waning minutes of the game, with both teams attacking the rim and the WolfPack refusing to go away. Calgary's lead never fell below six points however, and much like he has all season, Noah Wharton stepped up in closing time to push the game across the finish line for the Dinos. 

In the thick of the playoff race, the two teams will square off again Saturday night at 7 p.m. pt again from the Jack Simpson Gym.