EDMONTON - Third-year forward Adam Paige scored a game-high 19 points, 10 of which came in the second half, as the Alberta Golden Bears opened their 2021/22 season with a 84-66 win over the Lethbridge Pronghorns on Friday night.

Similar to the women's game earlier, the score was close at half, before a third-quarter offensive surge pushed Alberta over Lethbridge. The Pronghorn men held a slim 38-37 lead after two quarters, before the Bears turned it on in the second half, outscoring the visitors 47-28. 

Tyus Jefferson and Geoffrey James also recorded double digit point totals, scoring 12 and 11 respectively. 

Lethbridge captain Jeff Rodehutskors led the 'Horns with a team-high 17 points on 7/13 shooting, adding six boards. Shae Gibb added 13, while De'Andre Pierre dropped a dozen in the loss.

With the win, the Bears open the season 1-0, while the loss drops Lethbridge to 1-2. The win is also the sixth-straight for the Bears over Lethbridge.

The home Bears took a slim 19-18 lead after the opening quarter, thanks to five points each from Paige and Abdullah Shittu, with the lead changing eight times in the first 10 minutes.

The lead changes continued in the second, with the 'Horns eventually grabbing a 38-37 lead after 20 minutes.

The Bears offence finally caught fire in the third, as they scored 31 points to take a commanding lead. Jefferson scored eight of his 11 in the third, with Brandon Meiklejohn also scoring six. The Bears interior offence was causing Lethbridge trouble all night, with Alberta scoring on 72% of their two-point attempts through three quarters, with 44 of their 68 points coming in the paint.

The fourth quarter was more of the same, as Alberta added another 10 points in the paint, cruising to the 18-point win. 

Alberta and Lethbridge will clash again tomorrow night, with the rematch scheduled for 7:00 p.m. MT at Saville Community Sports Centre.