University of Regina Sports Information

REGINA – The University of Regina's men's basketball team completely erased a Winnipeg lead that had ballooned to as many as 23 points in the third quarter, but the Wesmen eventually held on for a 92-89 win over the Cougars on Friday night at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.

Winnipeg went into halftime in full control after taking a 52-32 lead into the break and went up 61-38 after seven straight points early in the third, but the Cougars went on a game-changing run to get back into it. First-year guard Brayden Kuski (pictured) ignited a massive 23-2 run, which was capped by a Shaquille Harris three-pointer from the corner that tied it up at 65-65 late in the period.

That set the stage for a thrilling fourth quarter which saw the lead change hands eight times, but Winnipeg took the lead for good with layups by Sean Tarver on back-to-back possessions in the final minute. The Cougars had one last chance to tie it at the buzzer, but Kuski's three-point attempt from the right wing was heavily contested by William Sesay and fell short.

The win improves Winnipeg's Canada West record to 8-9 as the Wesmen have now won five straight conference games.

While Tarver led all players with 25 points and added nine rebounds, Winnipeg's Denzel Lynch-Blair flirted with a rare triple-double as the fourth-year guard from Toronto finished with 13 points, a game-high 14 rebounds, and eight assists. Narcisse Ambanza added 20 points and seven rebounds, while Sesay finished with 17 points and five steals.

Regina's Kuski set a new career high in points for the second time in the last three games, scoring 11 points during that furious third-quarter run alone and finishing with a team-leading 21 on the night. Brandon Tull added a season-high 20 points and led all players with six assists, while Alex Igual added 16 points and both Harris and Shawn Lathan finished with 11.

Now 9-8 on the season, the Cougars will look to earn a weekend split with Winnipeg on Saturday night. Tip-off is set for 8:00 at the CKHS.

NOTES: Saturday's game will be Senior Night for Regina's three fifth-year players ... Igual, Tull, and Brian Ofori will be honoured at the CKHS following the conclusion of the women's game.