Written by Danielle Doiron
The University of Manitoba Bisons men's basketball team lost 87-81 in a fast-paced, hard-hitting, point-for-point contest against the CIS eighth-ranked University of Saskatchewan Huskies on Saturday, January 24 at Investors Group Athletic Centre.
The Bisons' third straight loss comes after a 92-87 losing effort to the Huskies on Friday night. Manitoba now sits at 9-7 over the season, holding on to the seventh and last playoff slot in the Canada West Pioneer Division. The Huskies sit third in the division, with a 10-4 record and six-game win streak.
"I think their veteran guys made big plays and we didn't. I think we became very tentative. They changed defenses – we didn't respond to it very well," said Bison head coach Kirby Schepp.
Bison guard Justus Alleyn led both teams with 28 total points, while forward Matthew Forbes topped the Huskies' score sheet with 22.
The teams went back and forth in the first with a combined total of 13 turnovers in the quarter. Manitoba's Alleyn and Saskatchewan's Dadrian Collins each netted eight points in the period to lead their teams to a 15-15 tie heading into the second.
The Huskies took an early lead in the second, but the Bisons retaliated. Manitoba forward Wyatt Anders, who was held scoreless in the first quarter, posted six points in the second, scoring two free throws in the last three minutes of the half to help the home team start the third with a 34-31 advantage.
Manitoba extended that lead to twelve points midway through the third quarter, when Anders scored on a jump shot to make it 52-40 for the Bisons. The Herd rode their double-digit advantage to close the quarter up 65-55.
The Huskies fought back in the fourth, cutting Manitoba's lead to four points with six minutes left in the quarter. Forbes scored for the Huskies to tie the game at 69 with just under five minutes left in the quarter.
But fouls sealed Manitoba's fate in those remaining five minutes.
"They continued to get to the free throw line, which really hurt us," Schepp said.
Three Bison players fouled out of the game – Anders, guard Stephan Walton, and Alleyn – handing the Huskies 24 free throw opportunities throughout the quarter. Saskatchewan made 18 points from behind the line to take the game 87-81.
Schepp said the team plans to take Sunday off to regroup and refocus to take on their hometown rivals, the Wesmen, at the University of Winnipeg on Friday, January 30 at 8 p.m. CST. The Huskies host the Trinity Western University Spartans at 8 p.m. CST on Friday, January 30.