EDMONTON - Ethan Egert had a 13-point 15-rebound double-double and Logan Powell hit a game-clinching four-point play with 20 seconds remaining to lift the Alberta Golden Bears over the MRU Cougars 77-69 Friday night at the Saville Centre.

It was a tight game throughout, as the largest lead of the game for the Bears was just nine, but they were able to close the game out in spectacular fashion, after holding off a big MRU charge in the third quarter.

The Bears were led by Egert and Isaac Simon on the scoresheet, who each finished with a team-high of 13 points, and the defence as a whole who won the defensive rebounding battle 30-20 and generated 13 turnovers. It was their first season opening win in two years, as the preseason #The 6-ranked Bears got off to a stellar start. It is also the first Canada West victory for new Bears head coach Geoff Pippus, a 2017 CW-championship team alum who joined the program in the offseason after three seasons as the head coach of the Camosun Chargers.

The Cougars kept pace with the Bears for the vast majority of the game, only falling short due to offensive struggles and some untimely turnovers and fouls. Jacob McLellan was the games leading scorer, as he finished with 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting. The Cougars drop to 0-1, and will look to split the series tomorrow at the Saville Centre.

The first half was incredibly tight, as both teams captured the momentum on the floor at times, but it would be Alberta who would come out on top at the break with a 41-35 lead. The first quarter saw the teams look a bit disjointed as they worked out the offseason kinks, most specifically on the offensive end. The Bears were efficient in the latter half, owing to a depth scoring effort that saw six Bears find the scoresheet, while the Cougars were bailed out by a strong offensive rebound factor including two from Jean Pigoue who added a quarter-high six points. The second frame was even tighter with the margin being just a 19-18 line in favour of the Bears. Isaac Simon and Nash Semeniuk combined for 10 points for the hosts, while Jacob McLellan scored a frame-high six coming from the field and the line.

The third quarter would proceed much the same as the first half, until a key 8-2 MRU run near the end of the quarter that brought the game to even. And while the Bears would recover to a 59-54 advantage going into the final frame, the Cougars were roaring with just ten minutes to play. While the Cougars would match an initial Alberta run, they would fall nine points behind midway through the frame after Caden Kushnir threw down an emphatic single-clutch dunk to force a visitor timeout. It would get back to a four-point game with two minutes to go. It would stay that close, until with 16 seconds left Logan Powell would receive a kickout and drain a three-pointer while getting mauled by the closing defender. He would sink his ensuing free throw to lead Alberta to a tight 77-69 victory.

The teams return to action tomorrow night for the final game of the opening series.