Written By: David Koroma

The two teams repeatedly countered each other with strong offensive pressure during the first quarter. With five fouls for Manitoba and six for Victoria, turnovers were an early factor for both teams. The home team ended the first with a narrow 21-20 lead.

The Vikes attempted to take the advantage through shots from behind the arc, but they struggled to capitalize, scoring only four out of thirteen attempts. The Bisons faired better with the treys, scoring six out of seven of their attempts in the first half. These shots would make the difference in the second quarter as the home team outscored the visitors by three to bring their lead to 43-39 heading into halftime.

Victoria came out of the locker room determined to take the lead, quickly closing the gap and taking a one-point advantage early on. From there, it was tit-for-tat between the two teams with neither one leading by more than one basket until the final minute when the Vikes pulled ahead by six points. A give-and-go from point-guard, Marcus Tibbs, to guard, Hassan Abdullahi, gave the Vikes the late lead. Abdullahi would score two more baskets in the final seconds, including a pull up jumper at the buzzer.

With the Vikes leading 63-57 heading into the final quarter, the Bisons stepped up their defense in an effort to regain the lead. However, this effort was stifled by fouls. Bisons' Head Coach Kirby Schepp was visibly frustrated with some of the calls that he disagreed with. His frustration resulted in a technical foul halfway through the final quarter as he threw his jacket on the bench and said the foul call was "crazy."

"We got a couple tough calls that didn't go our way, but it's part of the game and we need to be able to keep our composure in that part of the game – and that starts with me and trickles down to everybody," said Coach Schepp.

Victoria kept up their offensive pressure while the Manitoba team struggled to find the rhythm they had in the previous three quarters. The visitors had a 12-point lead heading into the final two minutes of the game and that was increased to 15 after forward, Mack Roth, scored a late three. The lead would prove insurmountable, leading to an 88-75 victory for the visiting Vikes.

Victoria's forward, Chris McLaughlin, ended the game with a double-double of 19 points and 15 rebounds, while Roth scored the most points of the game with 23. The Bisons' leading scorer was guard, Stephan Walton, with 20 points. This game brings the second-place Victoria Vikes to 8-2 for the season while the third-place Manitoba Bisons now sit at 8-4.

The two teams will meet for a rematch at Investors Group Athletic Centre at 7pm tomorrow, January 10.