WINNIPEG - The University of Winnipeg Wesmen dropped the second game of the weekend to the 3rd ranked Alberta Golden Bear. Fifth-year guard Geoff Pippus scored a game-high 16 points to lead the University of Alberta Golden Bears basketball team to an 83-59 win over the Winnipeg Wesmen on Saturday night at the Duckworth Centre.

For the Wesmen, second-year player Narcisse Ambanza lead all Wesmen scorers with 15 points while grabbing 4 defensive rebounds and 5 assists.

The game could be best described as a tale of two halves, saw the Wesmen lead at halftime (40-36).
Three Wesmen players came out strong, Denzel Lynch-Blair scoring 7 points, Narcisse Ambanza with 6 points and rookie stand out Don Dayrit with 5 points. At the quarter break, the Wesmen were up 23 – 18. For the Bears, Austin Waddoups kept the score close by scoring 8 points.

The second quarter saw the continual strong play from Ambanza and Dayrit. Each taking turns scoring for the Wesmen. However, the tide of momentum was starting to turn. Geoff Pippus was instrumental in the shift in momentum by scoring 10 points in the quarter.

The second half saw the Golden Bears flex their muscle and start to run away with the game. In the third quarter, the Bears outscoring the Wesmen by 10 points. In the fourth Alberta showed once again why they are ranked 3rd in U Sports basketball. Outscoring the Wesmen in the final quarter 28 – 10, the result of the game was never in doubt. Final score 83 – 59 for the Golden Bears.

As a team, the Bears also hauled down 38 boards in the win, 15 more than the Wesmen. Specifically, on the offensive boards, the Bears dominated.

The Wesmen will hit the road next weekend to face another tough opponent in the University of Calgary Dinos. The Bears will visit Kelowna and bring their 3- 1 record to face UBC Okanagan.