EDMONTON, AB - Earning a series sweep and improving to 7-1 on the season, Golden Bears Basketball earned an 87-71 win over MacEwan on Saturday night.
Isaac Simon powered Alberta with 23 points, shooting 8-for-14 from the field and 3-for-6 from deep while adding two rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block.
Kyle Varner contributed 13 points, including three three-pointers, along with five rebounds and three assists.
Ethan Egert recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, pacing the Golden Bears on the glass.
Off the bench,
Nate Waldron added 11 points and eight rebounds, and
Fahad Yusuf chipped in seven points and six rebounds.
MacEwan was led by Favour Igbinyemi, who scored 17 points and added six rebounds, while Hugo Alonso finished with 13 points.
The Bears exploded out of the gate with a 29–19 opening quarter. Varner hit a three just 30 seconds in off a feed from Simon, and moments later Simon scored back-to-back layups to push Alberta ahead 10–2. A Simon three at 6:21 extended the lead to 19–8, and his third triple of the frame at 2:09 helped maintain control. Kushnir closed the quarter with a jumper at the buzzer for the 10-point cushion.
Alberta kept rolling, outscoring MacEwan 26–14. Egert scored inside at 9:30, and Varner drilled a three on the next possession to stretch the lead to 34–19.
Matthew Osunde added a transition three at 8:39, and Waldron powered home a layup and free throw at 6:21 to make it 40–19. Alberta led 55–33 at halftime.
The pace slowed in the third, but Alberta still held the edge 14–12. Simon opened the scoring with a three at 8:39, and Egert connected from deep at 5:48 after a kick-out from Osunde. Alberta's defence held MacEwan to 27.8% shooting in the quarter, carrying a 69–45 lead into the fourth.
The Griffins made a late push, winning the quarter 26–18, highlighted by a pair of threes from Igbinyemi and another from Dele Osuma. But Alberta kept control as Egert answered with a triple at 8:39, and Varner converted two free throws at 6:21. Yusuf sealed the win with a corner three at 3:45, giving Alberta an insurmountable 21-point advantage.
The Golden Bears finished with 46 rebounds, 14 points off turnovers, and never trailed in the contest.
