CALGARY, AB – A chance to tie at the buzzer just rolled off the rim for the University of Calgary Dinos as the Saskatchewan Huskies grabbed a close 79-77 win in Calgary on Saturday night. 

With the win, the seventh-ranked Huskies improve to 12-2 on the year and won their last ten games. Meanwhile, the Dinos have dropped back-to-back games for the first time all year and fall to 10-6.

Twenty-four hours after a lopsided win for Saskatchewan on Friday, Saturday's contest was a much closer affair.

The first half was back-and-forth the whole way, with neither team able to gain any separation. A three-pointer by Calgary's Elina Siceva, followed by a layup from Pollyanna Storie and Calgary looked like it would carry a one-point lead into halftime, only to see Saskatchewan's Carly Ahlstrom hit a jumper as time expired to put the Huskies up 40-39 at the break.

Saskatchewan got hot from behind the arc in the third, connecting on four triples in the frame while the Dinos outside shooting went cold. The Huskies built a double-digit lead early in the fourth and maintained that for a 76-64 advantage with 5:21 to play.

From there, the Dinos scratched and clawed their way back into the game. A pair of free throws from Storie cut the edge to 10 before a bucket by Louise Rouse drew the Dinos within single digits.

Calgary's defence picked up its intensity, getting a number of key stops down the stretch to cut the gap to just four. Storie got her own rebound and put it back in to make it 76-74 with just 1:28 left to bring the crowd to its feet.

The Huskies were able to break the lid off the basket in converting a free throw to end a 10-0 Calgary run, only to see the Dinos convert a three-point play to tie things up at 77-all with just 54 seconds left in regulation.

On the ensuing possession, Ahlstrom showed why she's one of the best in the country, calmly driving to the hoop for a lay in to put the visitors back up by two. 

After a missed shot, the Dinos defence again buckled down and got the stop they needed with six seconds left but the final shot attempt as time expired just rolled off the rim.

Ahlstrom led all players with 22 points Saturday to go with nine rebounds and three blocks. Maya Flindall poured in 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting, while Logan Reider (16) and Gage Grassick (14) each also finished in double figures.

For the Dinos, Rouse led the way with 19 points on the night to go with four assists and three boards. Annacy Palmer added another 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go with a career-high seven assists. Storie also filled out the stat sheet with 13 points, two rebounds and two blocks, while Amélie Collin played a big role and finished with seven points.

The Huskies return home to host Trinity Western next weekend, starting Friday at 6:00 PM. from the Physical Activity Complex. Tickets are available at HuskieTickets.com.