Cougars hand Dinos first loss of the season in heavyweight tilt

CALGARY — A late fourth-quarter surge lifted the No. 7 Regina Cougars past the No. 4 University of Calgary Dinos Friday night inside the Jack Simpson Gym, handing Calgary its first loss of the 2025-26 season. Regina remained undefeated with the win.

The first weekend battle between the two powerhouse Canada West programs went the way of the Cougars, moving them to 11-0 on the year, while the Dinos drop to 10-1 in conference play and 16-1 overall.

Calgary controlled the early stages. A late first-quarter run gave the Dinos a 10-point cushion over the visiting Cougars. Milica Gajic scored five points during that stretch, while Pollyanna Storie and Courtney Oss also made key contributions.

The Dinos opened the second quarter with another strong push, scoring five straight points. Regina responded midway through the frame with an eight-point run, led by Cara Misskey, cutting the deficit to three. Calgary answered with an eight-point run of its own to reassert control and went into halftime up 10.

Momentum shifted in the third quarter. Calgary's offence stalled, while Regina closed the gap by outscoring the Dinos 9-7 in the low-scoring frame. The lead was trimmed to eight at 58-50 heading into the final quarter.

Regina came out firing. Jade Belmore scored three straight layups to open the quarter, igniting a late 10-point run. Calgary struggled to convert at the offensive end, allowing the Cougars to take control. Belmore continued to lead the charge down the stretch. A layup by Izzi Fust gave the Cougars their first lead of the game with just 55 seconds left before closing out the game with a five-point victory.

"Our turnovers and our execution on offence in the second half allowed them to get back into the game," said Dinos head coach Sarah Besselink. "Kudos to them. Number six (Cara Misskey) and number 12 (Jade Belmore) are fantastic players. We didn't do our jobs containing them today, and that's what killed us."

The Dinos and Cougars will meet again Saturday at 4 p.m. inside the Jack Simpson Gym.