(By University of Regina Sports Information)

REGINA – The University of Regina's men's basketball team finished off the first half of the Canada West schedule with an 86-79 victory over MacEwan on Saturday night at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health & Sport.

Unlike Friday's game which saw the Cougars run away with a 28-point win, Saturday's contest was a one-possession affair until well into the fourth quarter.

But the Cougars took control down the stretch, holding MacEwan without a field goal for almost five full minutes while scoring 10 straight points during a run that included two Greishe Clerjuste triples. That turned a slim three-point Regina lead into an 83-70 advantage with four minutes to go.

"Full credit to MacEwan, and we were fortunate enough to get stops down the stretch," Cougars head coach Steve Burrows said. "It was a typical Saturday night game in our league, and I was proud of our guys for being able to maintain composure when we needed it the most."

Brayden Kuski came off the bench to lead the Cougars in scoring, hitting three triples and finishing with 18 points and four steals. Clerjuste added 15 points, while Benjamin Hillis scored 13 and both Matt Barnard and Myles Hamilton finished with 10 points.

Jake Notice led MacEwan (0-12) with a 21-point effort, while Abdullah Shittu scored 17 and added eight rebounds.

Winners of seven of their past eight games and tied for third in Canada West in terms of winning percentage, the Cougars will take a 7-3 record into the December break. They'll have some time off before returning to the court at a non-conference tournament hosted by Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, Calif. later this month. The Cougars will resume Canada West play on Jan. 4 and Jan. 5 at Victoria.

MacEwan won't return to action until the Jan. 11/12 weekend at home against Calgary.