OTTAWA — A huge second quarter propelled the No. 5 Western Mustangs to an 86-72 win over the No. 4 Alberta Golden Bears in the opening quarterfinal at the U Sports men's basketball championship on Friday.
Western outscored Alberta 35-12 in the second quarter, wiping out a 13-point deficit.
Alberta suffered a quarterfinal loss for the fourth consecutive year.
The Mustangs will face the winner of Friday's second quarterfinal between the No. 1 Carleton Ravens and No. 8 Calgary Dinos.
Western dominated from three-point range against Alberta, hitting 17 of 28 (60.7 per cent). Alberta was just 5-for-20 (25 per cent) in the same category.
Omar Shiddo led the Mustangs with 24 points, while Eriq Jenkins had 21. Brody Clarke and Cole Knudsen each had 17 for the Golden Bears.
No. 3 UBC faced No. 6 Bishop's and No. 2 Dalhousie met No. 7 Ottawa in the other quarterfinals later Friday.
The semifinals are Saturday and the final is Sunday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2020.
The Canadian Press
