Dinos earn emotional win over X-Men

CALGARY – Led by a monster performance from Brett Layton and an inspired effort by Jackson Bayles, the University of Calgary Dinos picked up an emotional 99-90 win over the St. Francis Xavier X-Men Friday night in the Jack Simpson Gym at the 2019 Calgary Cup.

Layton had a 22-point, 25-rebound night, including an incredible 18 offensive boards, to pace the Calgary effort, while Bayles came off the bench to go 6-for-14 from beyond the arc to contribute 20 points as the Dinos picked up the win on 4AM Night, in honour of their teammate Andrew Milner who passed away last April.

Prior to the game, Head Coach Dan Vanhooren led a ceremony honouring Milner.

Vanhooren read a letter from a 12-year-old basketball player who Milner had coached. "He meant a lot to me, and I miss him. I hope I can play basketball like him someday," the boy's words read.

"The Andrew I knew was never the person to fit the mold," Vanhooren told the crowd. "It is an art to lead, an art to play the rhythm of the game of basketball, an art to forge relationships, an art to be a teammate, a mentor, a brother, and a son.

"In the true sense of the word, Andrew was an artist. On this court, he was an artist."

Fittingly playing the X-Men, from Milner's hometown of Antigonish, N.S., the Dinos took the lead with a 31-point second quarter and didn't look back, fending off a few StFX comeback attempts to honour their teammate with the 99-90 victory. Let by Layton's 18, Calgary had 27 offensive rebounds, leading them to take 90 shots on the night.

StFX was led by Thomas Legallais with 20 points, while Avan Nava picked up 18.

The 2019 Calgary Cup continues Saturday with four more games, with the Dinos returning to action against Guelph at 8 p.m. in the Jack Simpson Gym. The X-Men will play Mount Royal at 3 p.m.

-UC-