Box Score The Manitoba Bisons men's basketball team hung on to win their first conference game of the 2013-14 season in a 83-78 victory over the Mount Royal Cougars at the Investors Group Athletic Centre (U of M campus) on Saturday, Nov. 2.

The Bisons (1-1) led by as much as 18 in the third quarter but seen their lead shrink to a single point with four minutes remaining. However, the Cougars (0-2) could not tie or take the lead in the final moments and Manitoba was able to put the game away at the foul line.

"We had a comfortable lead and to their credit, they battled back and upped their intensity defensively," said Bisons head coach Kirby Schepp. "We struggled to get good looks after that and we needed to be more disciplined offensively.
"We got a few good looks at the end and that eventually pulled us away."

Manitoba's Amarjit Basi led all scorers with 19 points in the game. Jared Cornish and James Lefebvre had 16 to led the Cougars.

A 6-for-14 start from the floor helped the Bisons open up a 16-9 first quarter lead but a slow start in the next frame allowed Mount Royal to tie the game. However, Manitoba would recover by going on a 10-3 run in the middle of the second and would go up double digits on a Mike Holloway free throw. Heading into the locker room at the break, the Bisons were in front 37-27.

That lead continued to increase in the third quarter as the Bisons pushed the tempo offensively. Halfway through the quarter, Manitoba had extended the margin to 18 points, with Holloway and Yigit Ozsaynier being major contributors during the stretch.

Mount Royal would make a push late in the third. They would answer with a pair of threes from James Lefebvre in the quarter's final minute and trimmed the score back to its halftime deficit. Heading into the final frame, Manitoba was in front by a score of 61-51.

The Cougars continued to chop at the lead, coming within two on a layup from Lefebvre with five minutes left. They stayed within one possession for the next few minutes but Ozsaynier hit a pair of free throws at 2:27 to give the Bisons a five point lead.

Now a three point Bisons lead with a minute left, Ozsaynier committed an offensive foul driving to the basket. However, the Cougars were unable to capitalize on their end with a layup opportunity. With 24 seconds left and the shot clock expiring, Amir Ali buried a three pointer from the corner to give Manitoba breathing room at 81-75.

The Bisons gave up a pair of offensive rebounds following Ali's shot and Lefebvre trimmed the margin back down to three on a layup-and-one. On the other end, Ozsayiner was intentionally fouled and sank both foul shots, sealing the victory for Manitoba.

Manitoba's next action is on Friday, Nov. 8 when they travel to Lethbridge to take on the Pronghorns for a pair of games on the weekend. The Cougars open up their home schedule a day earlier on Thursday, Nov. 7 when they entertain the UBC Okanagan Heat in Calgary.