Golden Bears Basketball split weekend with Huskies

The University of Alberta Golden Bears had an up-and-down weekend, facing off at home against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

It was a classic “Jekyll and Hyde” performance. On Friday, Alberta looked unstoppable. By Saturday, however, the Huskies proved that you cannot let your foot off the gas in this competitive Canada West conference.

The weekend ended in a split, but the two games were night and day.

On Friday, the dials were turned to high. Alberta didn’t just win, they were in full control of every part of the game. Alberta started off quiet, before firing off scoring 30 points while holding the Huskies to a measly 12. A tight game turned into a gap that Saskatchewan couldn’t close.

Matthew Osunde was the highlight, tying his season-high with 19 points, while Caiden Kushnir scored a hard-fought 16 points and nine boards. 

The biggest takeaway: balance. 

Alberta shot nearly 50 per cent and had five guys hit double digits. That kind of depth is not common, and can take you far in the postseason.

On the opposite side of the court, Saskatchewan couldn’t drain a bucket from deep, hitting just three of 18 attempts. Easton Thimm still had his fun with 21 points and 12 rebounds, but Alberta’s pace kept the Huskies scrambling all night.

On Saturday, the tides changed. All those shots that looked easy the night before were no longer assured.

The stats tell the story: Alberta went 6-for-33 (18 per cent) on threes. It’s hard to win when the perimeter accuracy falters. To their credit, the Bears stayed in the fight defensively, but had a hard time keeping the pressure on the Huskies.

Kyle Varner led the way with 14 and Kushnir added 12, while Nate Waldron provided some extra juice off the bench with eight points and 11 rebounds.

At the end of the third, the Huskies led 50-43.

Just when it looked like Alberta might make a comeback, Saskatchewan’s Emmanuel Bonsu took over the game. The fifth-year guard was unstoppable, and made plays under heavy defensive pressure. He dropped 11 in the quarter alone, with every point sucking the life out of the Bears.

The split leaves Alberta sitting at 9-3, still comfortable near the top of the Prairie Division. However, this weekend was a snapshot of reality. When the accuracy and control is there, they can run teams out of town. But when the rim gets tight, execution has to be perfect.

This weekend moved the Bears down in the national rankings from eighth to 10th. If any more games mirror Saturday’s performance, they will likely become unranked shortly.

However, if they can find what they had on Friday, and hold onto that, the sky is the limit.

The Bears head into next weekend with a few lessons learned, but no real damage done. Saskatchewan, meanwhile, heads home knowing they made their point.