Huskies forward Matthew Forbes fought under the basket for 15 points to help lead his team to first place.

The Huskies men’s basketball team won the battle of the best Friday night, clinching first place in the Canada West Prairie Division with an 82-66 win over the Alberta Golden Bears.

The Dogs entered the Feb. 15 game at the PAC tied with the Bears for first place in the division. The win guarantees the University of Saskatchewan squad top spot entering playoffs, meaning they will host a conference quarter-final best-of-three series next weekend even if Alberta defeats the Huskies tomorrow in the final game of the regular season.

The Huskies came out strong Friday night, opening the game with a steal by guard Ben Baker and a three-pointer from forward Matt Forbes. After falling behind by one point just two minutes into the match, the Huskies, led by point guard Stephon Lamar’s game-high 19 points, regained control and didn’t give up the lead again for the rest of the game.

The Huskies led 35-29 at the half and, thanks to a strong third quarter in which the Dogs only allowed the Golden Bears 11 points, extended their lead to 13 entering the fourth frame.

With just under two minutes remaining in the final quarter, third-year forward Patrick Burns took a long pass and went in alone toward the Alberta basket. Burns planted to jump for the slam dunk but Alberta’s Rav Dhaliwal grabbed Burns’ shoulders to kept him from jumping.

Dhaliwal was called on the foul and ejected from the match for unsportsmanlike conduct. Huskies rookie Jonathan Karwacki also got tossed for the same reason for his actions in the scrum that followed Dhaliwal’s foul.

Burns sunk one of his two foul shots and the Huskies cruised to victory.

Alberta’s top offensive player, six-foot-seven point guard Jordan Baker, did not play in the game due to a mild injury. With Alberta’s playoff hopes potentially riding on tomorrow night’s game against Saskatchewan, the Bears may elect to play Baker.

Depending on other Canada West games this weekend, Alberta could be eliminated from playoff contention if they suffer another loss to the Huskies in game two tomorrow night. Tip-off is Saturday at 6 p.m in the PAC.

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Photo: Calvin So