Box Score It was a battle of the prairies Friday, November 13 night, as the University of Manitoba Bisons took on the University of Calgary Dinos in the Bisons' men's basketball home opener at Investors Group Athletic Centre. The Bisons and Dinos fought from the opening tipoff, but, in the end, the home side came out on top. The Bisons handed the Dinos their first loss of the season in a 96-90 overtime thriller.
With the win, the Bisons are now 2-1, while the Dinos fall to 2-1. Calgary guard Thomas Cooper led both teams with 38 points, while
Manitoba guard Justus Alleyn had 27 plus nine assists. Manitoba had five different players in double digits for scroing while bison co-captain Wyatt Anders added 20 rebounds in the home win. The game was close from the beginning. The Bisons took an early lead, thanks to jump shots from Amarjit Basi and
Keith Omoerah, but the home team couldn't hold off the Dinos' strong offense. Calgary scored seven unanswered points to take a 7-4 lead and stayed ahead for most of the quarter. But Basi made a three-point jumper with under a minute to go, and, after the Dinos added a field goal, the Bisons led 21-20 after the first.
The close game continued in the second. But instead of dominant offense from both sides, fans saw strengthened defensive games from the Bisons and Dinos. The teams traded baskets and Manitoba maintained its slight advantage until Cooper's three-point jumper gave Calgary their first lead of the quarter. With a chance to tie the game at 36, Alleyn missed a jump shot and turned the ball over to Cooper. Manitoba's
Ilarion Bonhomme II fouled with seconds left on the clock, and Calgary added two more points on free throws to lead 38-34 at the half.
Calgary took off offensively in the third and further extended their lead to 47-36, but the Bisons were relentless. Manitoba caught up after Omoerah stole and fed the ball to Basi, who cashed it in. The Dinos added a field goal, but Bison forward Brett Jewel added one of his own. Cooper tagged on a buzzer beater, and the Dinos lead 59-53 after three.
The Bisons and Dinos battled for the lead in the fourth. A pair of free throws from Anders brought the score within one. Calgary added a free throw of their own, but
Brett Jewell sunk a jump shot to tie the game at 64. The teams fought back and forth until the referees revoked a disputed charging call against Calgary and temporarily delayed the game. But with mere seconds left in regulation, the Dinos made two jump shots, tied the game at 80 and sent it to overtime.
The Bisons scored early on a pair of free throws and a layup, but the Dinos kept up. With under a minute to go and both teams shooting in bonus, Manitoba made three free throws to take a 94-89 lead. Alleyn tagged on a layup, and Cooper made a free throw, but it was over. The Bisons won the hard-fought game 96-90 in overtime.
The Bisons and Dinos will play the second game of this doubleheader Saturday at 6 p.m. CT at Investors Group Athletic Centre.
