After earning a 69-64 victory on Friday night at the University of Manitoba, the Wesmen returned to their home court where they used a dominate second quarter performance to hand the Manitoba Bisons their fourth straight loss in CIS/Canada West action at the Duckworth Centre.

The Wesmen (6-10) kept their playoff hopes alive in the Pioneer Division with a 74-63 win over the Bisons (1-17). Winnipeg is in a tight five-team battle for one of the final three playoff spots in the division.

 
Wesmen rookie Faith Hezekiah showed why she was named Garbonzo's Pizza player of the week last week, by putting up the double-double in the victory with 12 points, 10 rebounds. Hezekiah said getting the sweep over their rivals was important to send a message to the rest of their Canada West opponents.

 
"We're fighting to go to playoffs and we really wanted to get this win and we also wanted to make a statement that we are a good team and that we're better than how we've played so far," said the 17 year old social sciences student.

 
It was a tentative start to the game for both teams as they tried to find a way to establish dominance. The Wesmen held a slim advantage after the first quarter at 18-13 with fourth-year guards Megan Noonan and Kerri Kuzbyt putting up seven and six points respectively. The Bisons were led by veteran third-year guard Jenilyn Monton with seven points.

 
Early in the second quarter the Bisons closed the gap to within a single basket at 22-20, but the youthful visitors couldn't sustain the pressure and the Wesmen dominated the rest of the quarter by a 21-3 margin to take a double-digit lead into the half at 43-23. Noonan led all shooters at the half with 15 points, two rebounds, while Kuzbyt and Wesmen rookie forward Faith Hezekiah was close to a double-double at eight points, eight boards. For the Bisons, freshman guard Nicole Konieczny had five points in the first half and four boards.

 
"I think our defence is what helped us to go on that run," said Hezekiah. "When we come together as a team that's one of the things we really focus on, defence, talking and being aggressive and helping each other and our defence creates our offence."

 
In the third quarter the Bisons closed the gap by hitting five threes. Montana Kinzel had two and Caitlin Ticzon, Monton and Emma Thompson each had a single basket from beyond the arc as the Bisons closed the 20-point Wesmen lead after three to 59-44.

 
Konieczny, a first-year guard for the Bisons, finished the game with a double-double, 12 points, 13 boards, while Monton had 15 points, six rebounds and Kinzel had 14 points, nine boards in a losing effort for the visitors.

 
For the Wesmen, Hezekiah completed her quest for the double-double in the second half finishing with 12 points, 10 boards, while Noonan had a game-hight 19 points and Kuzbyt had 12 points, six rebounds. Shawn Pallister had nine points and nine rebounds off the bench for the Wesmen.

 
"It's amazing to have the opportunity to play and to have the opportunity to be on the floor, I just feel so blessed," said Hezekiah. "I could be doing better actually so I've got to pick it up and help my team."

 
The Wesmen return to the court Friday and Saturday, Feb. 12 and 13 at the Dr. David  F. Anderson gymnasium in the Duckworth Centre to face the Lethbridge Pronghorns at 6 p.m. and 2 p.m. respectively.