The Bisons women’s basketball team faced the University of Calgary Dinos at the Investors Group Athletic Centre on Friday, Nov. 28 and Saturday, Nov. 29. They lost the first game 84-59 and the second game 76-54.
On Friday’s game in the first quarter, the Bisons started well, going up by four before the Dinos had a chance to score, thanks to Taylor Schepp. But the lead was short-lived, as the Dinos soon caught up with the herd and they took the lead 13-11. While players from the Dinos like Amélie Collin and Christine Geraldo put up nine and five points respectively, Schepp alone scored 10 points. The first quarter ended with the Dinos leading 26-19.
The second quarter was dominated by the Dinos from early on — the score soared from 26-19 to 41-22 within six minutes. The Bisons struggled as the Dinos repeatedly grabbed offensive rebounds and extending possessions with better blocking. The second quarter ended with the Dinos leading by a huge margin of 22 points, the set score was 51-29.
The first half saw the Bisons making several runs but losing it just before the three-point line, allowing the Dinos to switch to offensive transition and attack the basket. The Dinos were extremely effective around the Bisons’ free-throw line, where two or more Dinos players would pass the ball before one suddenly drove into the gap looking to finish at the rim. This strategy by the Dinos served them well.
Post-halftime, the game flipped in the third quarter. This time, the herd controlled the tempo, making crisper passes and exploiting gaps, which allowed them to score 21 points, with Schepp scoring seven points and Samantha Onyebuchi scoring eight. The Dinos, on the other hand, struggled and managed only 13 points. The Dinos ended the third quarter still in the lead with 64-50.
In the fourth quarter, the Bisons’ defence struggled to contain Kourtney Oss and Geraldo, who each scored nine points, while the herd added a total of nine points. The game ended in a win for the Dinos with a final score of 84–59. Bisons athlete Schepp was one of the best on the court as she was able to get 17 points, four rebounds and two assists.
The Bisons women’s basketball head coach Michele Sung said, “We matched their physicality, we knew they are one of the more physical teams in Canada West.” She also commended her team’s defensive effort, noting, “We have tried to really emphasize defensive practices and defensive skills in practice.”
Sung also commented on Schepp’s performance. “She was patient. We tried to really prepare her for a ton of pressure.” Sung added, “[There are] some things that we can cleanup, but that’s where it’s fun, she’s only a first year.”
The game on Saturday had a similar outcome to the Friday game, with the Dinos winning the game 76–54. The Dinos shined as a team as they got more total assists — 19 compared to the herd’s 11. Additionally, the bench points by the Dinos were 34, which was significantly higher than the Bisons, who had five. Geraldo led the Dinos with 12 points, adding four steals and five assists. Collin also made a big impact, scoring 16 points while contributing five assists and five steals. For the Bisons, Paige Schatkowsky led with 15 points, six rebounds and one assist despite the Dinos’ dominant performance.
The Bisons women’s basketball team will play their last game of 2025 against the Winnipeg Wesmen on Friday, Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. CT at the Investors Group Athletic Centre.
