Amber Doyle, Bison Sports

WINNIPEG – The Manitoba Bisons cruised to a 101-60 win over the Trinity Western Spartans in a lopsided men's basketball matchup at Investors Group Athletic Centre on Friday.

The Bisons (6-9) crept their way higher in the standings after taking Friday's game over the winless Spartans (0-15).

With the victory, the Bisons have now won their last three straight games and are carrying some momentum as they edge toward a playoff spot. In the most recent section of their schedule, the Bisons faced some of the top-ranked teams in the conference.

"We've got five games left, and we'll treat them all as tough," said Bisons head coach Kirby Schepp. "The focus is to get better… hopefully, it'll be enough that, come the end of the year, we'll be a playoff team." 

The Bisons commanded the game from the get-go. After the first, the Herd had a sizeable 25-13 lead. That lead grew to 54-29 heading into the half.

The Spartans seemed to struggle to get in a groove. Although they shot field goals at 38.6% (significantly above their 27.1% average), they only had one offensive rebound throughout the course of the game.

Trinity Western's Ethan DaSilva often took things into his own hands. The fourth-year guard, standing at 6-1, took advantage of opportunities to drive to the basket. DaSilva put up a total 10 points, five assists, and five rebounds. Leading the way for the Spartans was Vartan Tanielian, who had 18 points.

Bisons third-year guard Kieran Zziwa kicked it up a notch on Friday. So far this season, Zziwa has averaged 5.7 points per game. He nearly doubled that average in the first quarter, putting up 10 points. Zziwa went on to contribute 18 points and four assists. Twelve of his points were from beyond the arc.

A couple of the Bisons young guns also stepped up to the plate. Isaac Miller-Jose, the second-year forward hailing from Wellington, New Zealand, put up 20 points and added nine rebounds. Another second-year forward, Risto Zimbakov also contributed 12 points. 

"Isaac gave us great minutes," said Schepp. "I thought Wyatt Tait and [Risto] Zimbakov were also very good off the bench for us tonight. Wyatt's energy was fantastic."

Although he didn't contribute much to the stats, second-year forward Wyatt Tait also had a solid performance. He was a playmaker in the second half, offering four assists.

The two teams will tip-off again on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m.